Edward Elric: Homunculus
by Kabaneri
Summary: Ed is a Homunculus and doesn't realize it until much later. This is collection of short stories and only changed parts are written! I got a bit frustrated with some of the stories where Ed makes a full 180 when he becomes a homunculus tbh. I'm changing this!
1. Chapter 1

**This is another idea I had and couldn't hold myself back. That's what the inspiration devils get to me, they don't leave me alone. It won't be much, just a few short/snippets here and there as Ed, Al and co realize Ed's a Homunculus. I got inspired by 2003's Wrath.**

"speech"

'thinking'

===Ed and Al (age 6 and 5 respectively)===

"Haah...haaaa...haaaa-! Gah!" - Ed was lost and scared.

He had been running through the dark forest for a long time before he finally tripped on a crooked root and fell. He scrambled to his feet and winced, his ankle was sprained.

'No! I-I can't! I have to keep running and get back to mom and Al. I have to. I can't die here!'

He heard the sound of footsteps cruching leaves behind him and the bark of a dog. He goes even faster, almost as if his ankle is alright. He heard the sound of flowing water in front of him and soon in front of him was a river. He either had to jump or let himself be captured. He hesitated for a bit but that has enough for his pursuer to spot him.

"Get him!" - a deep gravelly voice shouted.

The dog's leash was released and it bolted towards Ed. Ed was scared and ran towards the river but the dog was faster than the boy. The german shepherd mix viciously bit and pulled him by the calf. He tried to get free but was futile. His pursuer calmly walked towards him. The tall and bearded man, with hairy arms, dishelved appearance, boots and long coat approached the boy, in his hand was a metal pipe.

"Damn brat! You gave me too much trouble! Good thing you are useful, otherwise yer brain would've been splattered long ago. Let go!" - he shouted.

The dog let go but before Ed could do anything, the man hit him hard on the head with the pipe. Ed blacked out by the time his head smacked the hard, damp grownd.

...

He was hurting, he was cold...he couldn't move...where was he...? Ed tried to look around but couldn't see. He tried to shout but was gagged. As he came to, he realized he was blindfolded, tied up and on something hard and cold. He shifted a bit and, yep, it was stone.

'Wwhere am I?!...!...I've been captured by that bad man again. And he's tied me up this time. Damn!'

=Flashback=

"Ed! Where are you going?"

"I'm going out for a bit mom!"

"OK, but don't go too far and stick to routes you know! Your brother is sick and I have to watch him, so would you be kind and get some bread from Pinako's house?"

"Yes, I'll mom!"

Ed happyly ran out. He played around a bit and was about to go and see Winry at her house when he saw a bunch of very pretty flowers. He always thought picking flowers was too girly but thinking about how his mom's face would light up if he brings them to her, he decided to take them with him. He looked around, there was no one around and was eerily quiet.

He gulped nervously and slowly made his way to the edge of the small forest, if you could call it that, considering it was just a thick patch of trees surrounded by grasslands. There was an old wooden fence put around it in order for cattle and sheep to not wander and get lost in it. He crouched and crawled below the fence. Ed soon reached the flowers and kneeled. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, so he didn't notice someone had sneeked behind him untill it was too late. A large and calloused hand scooped him in a strong grip while another pressed a cloth to his face. He struggled but fell asleep.

He woke up at sunset in a metal cage in a dusty and smelly basement. There were other cages in there. Some had half-dead looking people, others had scary and grotesque monsters, but the scariest ones were the empty bloodstained ones. There were also a lot of scattered papers about alchemy, Ed couldn't read them but he had seen the circles in his father's books. He stood up and looked around. He had to escape. Just then Ed noticed the cage's door hadn't been locked because it was slightly opened. The man that had kidnapped him also wasn't there.

The man hadn't thought Ed would be up so fast with the dose of chloroform he inhaled but aparently he had underestimated Ed's metabolism. As quietly as he could, Ed opened the door and exited the cage. He climbed a few crates and reached the only window in the basement. He was big enough to get through.

'Just a little bit and I'll be out!' - Ed thought as he crawled out of the window.

Luck wasn't on his side that day. He had just gotten out and was about to close the window when the bearded man entered the basement.

"Wah! How did ya get out damned brat?!" - he sputtered and threw the wine bottle he was holding on the grownd, smashing it.

Ed scrambled away from the window and ran away into the forest. He ran and ran, untill it hit him. This wasn't the small forest but some other place. Ed didn't want to be caught by the man, so he ran even faster, trying to outrun him or find an inhabitable place.

=end=

"MHHHHHH! Ruuuuh!" (Ed trying to scream through the piece of cloth)

Ed thrashed and struggled in desperation. His efforts were rewarded soon.

"Shut it!" - the man kicked Ed.

Be it for good or bad, the blindfold fell off. Ed was greeted by the man's furious face. The man spat at him and moved next to the desk in the corner of the room. It was old, full of books and papers. A few empty wine bottles were also scattered around.

Having his eyes wandering around Ed realised he was in the centre of a transmutation circle. It was bigged and more complicated than anything he had seen.

"Banned they say...no talent they say! I'll show those damned swines from the Central! I'm way better than them! After my work is done, I'll be recorded in history! Hahahahaha!" - he lauched with a crazy look.

The man was obviously tipsy from the wine. Ed had realized he was about to be used as a material in a transmutation. He definetely didn't ant that! Although he knew nothing about the circle, he remembered that if a circle was damaged, wiped out or destroyed, the transmutation should stop or fail.

'If it means winning some more time, I'll do it!'

While the man wasn't looking and was still mumbling to himself, Ed did his best to wipe out lines from the circle.

"Now, let's start!"

The man sherply turned around and clapped his hands. With a trained motion he put them on the circle and it lit up. Ed squirmed even more, trying desperately to wipe some more of the lines. He even spilled some things that were aparently placed behind him. Nothing worked. The last thing he heard before the pain and darkness consumed him, was the wet spat behind him and the man's crazed chuckle.

...

Darkness...many eyes open...hands...hands...hands. Reaching...and reaching...tearing into him...pulling him apart. Pain...PAIN!

"GYAAAH!"

Mom...Al...Winry...Pinako baa-san...

 _"We're waiting! Have a nice trip nii-san!" ...Al._

 _"When you get back, we'll have a tasty meat stew!" ...mom._

 _"Have some srespect! And stop running around my workshop! Go outside!" ...Pinkao baa-san_

 _"Ed, you dummy! I hate you! *throws a doll in his face*" ...Winry._

'I-I can't die here! Let me go...let me GOOOOOO!'

=With Winry and Pinako=

"Grr...Where is she?! It's getting late." - Pinako was impatiently waiting.

"Who are you waiting for granny?"

"For Ms. Elric. She asked me to buy some bread for her because she was too busy. She was supposed to have come by now."

"Maybe something happened?"

"Hmm...You may be right. Wait a bit."

Pinako went to the phone and dialed a number.

[Hello?]

"It's me Pinako."

[Oh, Pinako! Sorry I couldn't come. Al caught the flu and I'm looking after him.]

"There's no problem."

[Ah, has Ed arrived yet? You can give him the bread.]

"Ed? He's not here?"

[He's still not there?! He should have arrived long ago!]

"I have a bad feeling. You look after Al and we'll go search for Ed."

[OK, I will. I just hope nothing bad happened.]

"Me too..."

Pinako closed the phone.

"Winry! We're going out! Take two lamps and a few wrenches! Ed may be in trouble."

They searched untill it got dark and the moon was high up. In the end there was no trace of Ed. Unwillingly Winry went to sleep. Pinako had threatened her with taking all her stuff and banning her from going out for a week in order to get her to have some sleep.

The next morning Winry woke up as soon as the sun rose. She dressed up and went to the kitchen. Her grandma was already there. She hadn't went to sleep at all, judging from the dark circles under her eyes.

"Winry, sit and eat some eggs."

"No! I'm going to look for Ed!"

"We'll both go! But not without eating breakfast. You won't have any strenght otherwise."

"Ugh. Fine!"

She quickly gulped down her breakfast and headed out. She opened the door but froze. On their verand was Ed, sprawled, face down and with bloodied clothes on.

"Kyaaa!"

"What's it Winry?!" - Pinako looked out of the door and also froze.

After a moment Pinako picked Ed up and brought him inside.

"I-Is he going to be fine granny?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'll make sure he's fine."

...

"Huh?"

Ed sat up and looked around. He was in clead clothes and in a familiar room.

'This is Winry's house...How did I get here?'

The door opened. Winry entered the room and the moment she saw him awake, she beamed and clomped around his neck.

"Ed! I'm so glad you're OK. You just wouldn't wake up!"

"WWinnry! You're suffocating me!" - he struggled to get away from the girl.

"Ed!"

"Al! Mom!" - he beamed as his family entered the room.

In the big group hug they all laughed and smiled. Eventually Winry was called by her grandma, leaving the Elrics alone.

"We were so worried nii-chan! I thought something bad happened!"

"Yeah, what exactly happened dear? You aren't hurting anywhere, right?"

"No, mom, I'm fine."

"Good. Can you please tell me what happened? Winry had found you sleeping on the stairs in front of the house this morning."

"Well...I went out and headed for Winry's house. I was passing near the small forest and then...and then..."

Ed tried to remember but nothing came to him, no memories, only black and the feelings: fear and dread.

"I-I can't remember!"

"Not even a thing? Where you were? Who put the tattoo on you?" - his mother inquired.

"Tattoo?! What tattoo?" - Ed was panicking.

"Here!" Al placed a hand on the back of his neck, just below his hairline "It's quite small and strange. We didn't notice it untill we had to wash your hair."

"Let me see!"

They had to use 2 mirrors and struggled quite a bit to put them in the right angle for Ed to just be able to see the mark. A snake eating it's own tail. ( _Ouboros._ ) Ed's brain added.

"But, God, what kind of psycho marks children like...like some property!" - his mother was furstrated, even furious.

"You can't do much. Our best chance is to inform the police and hope they get caught as soon as possible. Now, who's up for lunch?" - Pinako asked from the door.

They all agreed and went to the kitchen. The whole matter about the tattoo on Ed's neck was forgotten. After all "What's happened happened." and there was no point fretting over it. After that Ed grew his hair longer and began puting it in a low braid.

===Timeskip===

Their mom was dead. As the last people left her grave's side, leaving the two boys alone, they couldn't hold it anymore and they fell on their knees, crying. They swore they'd return their mother, one way or another.

You know what happened next. They studied alchemy under Izumi Curtis for some time and gained a lot of experience. The ouboros tattoo was almost completely forgotten due to the events and it was treated more like a birthmark than something that had been put there by someone. The nonchalant attitude and low ponytail of Ed made the mark practically nonexistent, so no one noticed a thing, even Izumi.

After completing their training, the two boys decided to return and try to ressurect their mother. However...

The alchemic reaction started as they both touched the circle. It was going well untill the colour of the reaction changed and an omnious wind appeared.

"Aaaah! Nii-san! Your leg!" - Al shouted.

Ed looked down to see small black hads disintegrating his left leg. He struggled to get away but at that time even more hand shot out and lunged at Ed.

'Oh, no! What have we done?' - Ed thought.

Suddenly he was pushed out of the way by Al. The hands grabbed the younger brother and pulled him inside the gate.

"Al nooooOOOO!" - Ed desperately tried to reach his brother on one leg but it was futile.

Al was gone and the _thing_ that emerged from the transmutation was not their mother.

"Sorry...Al..." Ed whispered when suddenly pain erupted from his head "Guh...GAAAH!"

He fell and convulsed on the floor, his leg had stopped bleeding, closed by red sparks. An unimaginable amount of knoledge appeared in his mind. Like the reel of a movie, everything passed quickly untill it reached an almost unintelligible part.

...

"I-I c-'t d-e yeeettttttttttttttttt!"

Hands...black...pulling...fear...despair...hope...

 _"_ _ **Am-ng...hehe...will...impo-le to esca=e!...NO!... T- can't ... I'- e-, go-, Truth! ...You...see...fat-!"**_

"AA **AAAA** _AAAA_ **AAH**!" - he?...scre-oared?...and reached out.

Ripping...free...light...escape...screams...

 _ **"Y-u actua-y ma-ed...! We'-l see ea-ot-er ag-in...li-le H...u...n..."**_

...

Ed gasped as the stream of information was abruptly cut painfully.

'What was that...and the end...!'

*h...haaahkh!*

The _thing_ had taked a raspy breath and jerked up a bit. Ed looked at it in disgust and as if something else was telling him what to do, he clapped his hands and proceeded to destroy it. After that, just to be safe, he set it on fire using some oil and a matchstick.

'I know what to do...sorry Al! I-I can't loose you too!'

Ed dragged himself towards the empty suit of armour, the thought of being with his brother the only thing in his head. He easily removed the heavy armour from it's stand, not noticing his increased strenght at all or the almost nonexistent glow emmitting from the ouboros on the back of his head.

(Not that he could anyway, being on the back of his nech, hidden by hair and all.)

He had to puncture his finger multiple times to make the seal on the armour, the wound stopped bleeding almost instantly. Finally he finished the seal and clapped his hands again.

"I'm giving my right hand! Please, Al...I can't loose you!"

He activated the reaction and immediately a blinding light filled the basement.

=Al POV=

I open my eyes. I feel heavy and weightless at the same time. What a strange feeling...

"Nii-san!" - I sat up and heard loud clanking.

I look down and see armour. Before I can panic over the fact a groan snaps me out of it. There, on the grownd lays Ed, his leg and arm missing. He looked extremely pale and fatigued.

"A-al...I'm sorry..." - he says to me and faints.

'I-I have to find help! Someone...Pinako baa-chan!'

...

Not late after I had arrived to their house and given Ed to be checked up.

"Don't worry Al...I-I'm sure Ed'll be fine! He's not bleeding, right?" - Winry tried to reassure me but I wasn't convinced.

There was too much blood on his clothes and the floor after all.

=end POV=

The sound of chirping birds woke Ed up. He was laying on a bed and for a few moments he didn't register anything. Suddenly he sits up so fast he gets dizzy. He looks around and spots the slumped armour leaning on the wall across the bed.

The events of the previous night then hit him. They had failed and Al had sacrificed himself. He clenched his fists in grief and cried quietly for a while.

"Sorry...Al...it's all my fault!"

=On the road to Resembool, in a car=

"So, the famous Elric brothers live here?" - Roy Mustang asks.

"Yes, according to our informants they had returned here two weeks ago." - the driver, a man with glasses and beard answered.

"Finally! They had been avoiding us for what? A year, two? Or maybe more? I can't wait to give them the invitation and be back to doing less work!" - Roy stretched and poped his neck.

He had been given the order to give an oficcial invitation to the Elrics to attend the exam and maybe join the militay. He would have refused but it was a direct order from the Furer. And to be honest, that guy scared Roy quite a bit. Now THAT was something!

After a bit more driving on the bumpy dirt road, the car stopped in front of the Elrics' house.

'It's a nice place. Even a swing in front. I wonder if they're living with someone else?' - Roy mused.

"Sir? SIR!"

"Yes?!" - Roy got startled.

"I was calling you for a while. What should I do? Should I wait or go somewhere else?" - the man asked from the driver's seat.

"You may leave. I'll walk a bit. I'll meet you at the inn we reserved."

"OK. Good luck sir!"

The man drove away and Roy returned to his task. He knocked on the door but there was no response. He circled around the place slowly but no signs of life were inside the small house.

'Strange...they should have returned more than 2 weeks ago but it's like they were barely here...Huh?'

Roy noticed a door that probably led to the basement, or something like that. He lightly pushed and yep! It was open. He gulped and steeled himself. Roy put his gloves on and headed down. Just as he reached the bottom of the steps he saw the glint of an oil lamp. He lit it up and looked around more carefully. There were books, dust, cobwebs but what made his heart skip a beat was the transmutation circle and the blood...so much blood.

"What the hell happened...?"

"Something bad that's none of your buisness Mr. Military man." - an old woman's voice sounded behind him.

He turned around and readied himself to attack.

"Who are you?!" - he asked the short old woman.

"Pinako Rockbell, the current guardian of the boys. And who are you?"

"Colonel Mustang from the Amestrian state military."

"Hmm...a big shot then? What are you doing here then? I dobt someone like you would come just to sightsee?"

"I can ask you the same. Where are the Elrics? I'm looking for them." - he lowered his hands in a peaceful way.

"They are at my house." she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck "I came here to take some clean clothes for them. To my surprise, someone has entered the basement. I was thinking of knocking you out at some point." just now he noticed the wrench in her hand "But! Now that you are here, you'll help me with the luggage!" - she ordered him and went up the steps.

"Haah?" - is rebooting, please wait...

...

When Roy arrived at Rockball's house/workshop he hadn't expected what he saw. From the reports on their achievents and reputation he had thought they are at least legal adults but what he saw was two boys not even 16. One of them in a wheelchair without an arm and a leg, the other without a body. They had attempted human transmutation and paid the price.

'I guess everyone makes mistakes, no matter if we want or not...' Roy remembered the war but quickly shoved the memories away for some other time '...but that boy, heh...he's something else.'

"Well...there's nothing more I can do right now. I'll be going but know you are invited. My office's phone number and that of Central is inside the folder. Have a nice day." - he headed out.

Ed hadn't reacted at all, still staring at his lap, while Al was trembling a little.

"Hey!" Winry stopped him outside "Why are you so blunt? They've lost so much and now you want them to become soldiers?! What...!" - she was interrupted by Roy's hand.

"Haven't you seen his eyes? That boy, Edward's eyes are that of a fighter! Just by looking at the flames in them I can tell he's not given up. He'll get up, even stronger than before!" - he turned his back and walked away.

...

Everyone knows what happens after that. Ed gets automail. He makes a fast recovery and is moving like new in 9 months. He and Al then decide to go to Central.

...

Ed waited on a chair in the almost empty room. There were some soldiers watching him as he waited for the so called 'jury'. When they arrived he was asked many questions, also it turned out that the Furer himself had come.

"Someone may try and do something if you are unprepared, right?" - Ed asked as he pointed the newly transmuted spear at the Furer's throat.

Bradley just laughed and didn't look disturbed by the weapon.

"I like you! So brazen and you have guts! You are accepted."

"Bbut sit! He..." - one of the other men tried to speak.

Bradley silenced him by raising his hand. He then patted Ed on the shoulder and turned around, leaving for his next assignment.

"...Also, I'm not so vulnerable, even at my age. Haha!"

Just then the spear's top fell apart and they noticed the sword in Bradley's hand.

"When did he?!" - Ed shouted.

...

Ed was returning home to pack his and Al's stuff and say goodbye. He was looking at the open fields full of sheep from the train's window. His brain kept returning to his meeting with the Furer. The guy made him feel a certain way, somrthing he hadn't felt before. There was also the slight tingling he felt at the place there his mark was. It had started when he did the spear stunt and ended when King Bradley patted his shoulder. At that moment it was as if a jolt of electricity or even lightning had struck him, making him stiffen up for a moment.

'Back then...it was like this...thing passed through me...it was...I don't know...anger...pain? I better be careful around him.'

He rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly, not noticing the faint sparks it emitted at the moment of touch.

===Timeskip===

Everything was going well. Ed was now 15 and Al was 14. Three years of service and they had close to no clues about the Philosopher's stone. Of course, they had encountered that fake priest and his counterfeit stone. It was understandable Ed was a bit furstrated. Add that bastard Tucker and Scar to the mix and it becomes a recipe for a bad time.

After their fight and total defeat by Scar, Ed was left without arm and Al with more than half his body disintegrated. The worst thing was that Ed kinda knew the attack was coming. He knew about Scar but still wandered around, practically shouting 'Here I am! Come and get me!' . Thankfully Major Armstrong had saved them in time. Ed new he should be happy but he felt uneasy. All because of an event during the battle...

=Flashback=

Ed was fighting Scar and was getting a bit better at dodging him. He kept his distance and used the street to transmute spikes, blockades and weapons. Scar roared in rage and went after Ed's head. Ed got prepared to catch it, he was going to use his automail.

Alchemic red sparks danced across Scar's hand but as it got close to Ed's face a sudden jolt of electricity shot through his body. The world seemed to slow down. Everything became colourless, dull grays, whites and black. They served as a backgrownd to some multi-color kights and sparkles, waves and threads that sprung to life around him. Some were dimm, some were bright, some were stationary, others moved slowly like a river. He looked at Scar, he was moving at a snail's pace, from a bright light in his chest multiple 'roots' spread throuh his body and out as thin strings. His right hand however is blood red, unlike the rest of his body. He looks at it and he feels like he is 'pulled' deeper in it.

'GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'

Multiple screams and wails snap him out and the world returns to normal. He stumbles a bit and lifts his automail and in a flash it's blown to pieces. Scar prepares to finish the job but just then Major Armstrong saves them.

=end=

'What was that back then?...Some kind of adrenaline induced vision or something else...? One thing is for sure, it came from one place and spread through my whole body. And the place it came from...'

Ed rubbed the back of his neck, trying to feel for something being amiss but his skin was fine. This meant he wasn't hit by anything which leaves...

'The tattoo...But why?! I never had any problems with it, heck I even forgot it was there at some point. Is there something fishy about that tattoo after all? Who knows what creep put it there. Also the time I was missing is still blank...'

"...e've arrived! Let's go out and stretch our legs!" - Armstrong's jovat tone snapped him out of his musings.

'Oh! Right, we were going to Resembool to get my arm fixed.'

Ed stood up and stretched, his back popping at the motion.

"Come on Edward! Let's stretch our bodies and get food!" - Armstrong flexed, sparkle and all.

Ed followed him out of the train.

...

Unexpectedly in the small town they met an old aquitance of the Major. Dr. Markoh, an alchemist, that also had been in the war against Ishbala. They chased him around for a while but managed to talk with him in the end. He was not convinced they weren't enemies but after hearinf Ed and Al's story he gave them a note and asked them to leave, not telling anyone of their encounter.


	2. Chapter 2

"speech"

'thinking'

===Central city havoc===

"So this is the lab? Man, this place looks like a haunted building!" - Ed said in front of the gates of 5th lab.

"Y-yeah...it sure does. What do we do now?" - Al asked from his left.

"We sneak in of course! Now, boost me up!"

...

While they waited for Ed's automail to be re-made and fitted, they had some free time. Ed went to their mom's grave and paid respect but also had a bit of time to think about some other things. Specifically the tattoo on the back of his neck.

With time he had completely, well almost completely, forgotten about it's existence. No one else noticed it too so it went unnoticed untill now but his recent encounter with Scar reminded him about it.

'There definetely IS something up with it! Back then I felt this sudden jolt and then whoosh! Everything is all weird and I almost die! When we get to Central city, I'll look it up in the library! It may have some special properties.' - Ed thought.

Unfortunately the library and everything in it was burnt to crisp. They managed to get Dr. Marcoh's work from Sheska. He wanted to ask her if she knew something about the tattoo but decided not to. He really wanted to know but also didn't want people to know about it or have suspicions, that would limit him greatly.

'As long as it doesn't cause me any direct harm, I'd rather not tell anyone else.'

...

Ed was crawling through a dusty air vent and contemplating on the fact he called himself short when he saw an exit. He jumped down and found himself in a big room with a transmutation circle in the midle. He approached with caution to take a closer look.

When he saw the circle, he froze. A terrible and familiar feeling settled in his stomach.

'W-w-why am I...?'

(PAIN PAIN PAIN! Make it stoooooooooooooooop!)

He clutched the side of his head in pain and grimaced. Where had he seen this circle before? Why did it make him feel so bad and what was up with that memory flash? It was too short but it conveyed him a bad feeling.

"This thing...must be destroyed..." - he whispered so quietly it was almost unhearable.

Before he could clap his hands and destroy the whole floor a clang of metal alerted him of someone else being there. A sword flashed and hit the place where he had previously been. In front of him was an armoured swordsman.

"Sorry, boy, but my task is to kill every trespasser. I won't let you live, so better prepare yourself!"

He attacked again with speed too great for someone his size. His sword was ready to kill. Ed grit his teeth and quickly turned his automail in a blade. They clashed blades multiple times, each unable to hit the other.

CLINK! Scree!

Their blades clashed and sparks flew. With a strong push they separated, the armoured man, 48, skidding just a little bit farther due to Ed's push.

"You are quite good, kid. And you also pack quite a punch despite being this _Small._ "

"DON"T CALL ME SMALL!"

"Too naive!"

48 dived towards Ed and slashed his sword. Ed stepped back and jumped up but the swordsman was ready. He managed to cut Ed's shirt and draw a few drops of blood from the side of his stomach.

"You are good, I guess I'll go seriously from now on. You are no ordinary brat after all."

"You too, uncle. Let's finish this! I have work to do."

They fought but this time Ed could only defend and sometimes attack using alchemy. The man's experience proved to be more than his and compensated for his inability to move as swiftly or use alchemy. Ed grit his teeth and charged. The man managed to cut his shoulder but Ed managed to hit his head.

CLANG! Katunk.

'Empty...?' - Ed thought.

"No way! You are empty!"

"Oh, I'm amazed you noticed."

"Of coure! I spar with a person like you. I can recognise the sound of empty suit of armour any time."

"Good for you but that won't help you here. Your companion also."

"Wwhat do you mean?!"

"You didn't come here alone, right? Your friend is probaly facing him at the moment. I wonder how long he'll last?"

"Shut up!"

Ed slashed towards 48 but the attack was stopped by 48's katana.

Kachak!

Suddenly his automail hung down like it was some wall ornament instead of a working machine.

'Wwhat?! It came apart?! No! It broke down.'

Winry's warning flashed through his mind and his bewilderment was cut short by an incoming sword slash. Ed barely managed to move aside and avoid being impaled, unfortunately a long and a bit deep gash was made on his stomach.

"Gah!" - Ed was kicked and sent flying into the nearest pillar.

Ed slumped on the ground. His hair a mess, stomach leaking blood on the floor and panting.

"I congratulate you boy. You've been the most challenging opponent I've had in a LONG time." 48 started slowly approaching Ed "But we must say our goodbyes now. Any last words?"

"...ty..."

"Hm? What did you say?"

"Ye'r EMTYYYYYY!" - Ed's head suppenly looked at him with a slightly mad grin.

Ed slammed his hand on the floor. 48 finally noticed a very small circle drawn with blood on the boy's left side. With the spark a whole wave of stone rushed at him and pressed 48 against the wall so hard the armor groaned and got a bit flatter. When the transmutation ended only his head was out. Ed stood on shaky legs, left arm clutching his stomach.

"Mman! This was close...good thing I don't have to worry about killing a person...hehe...Now, mind telling me what's up with this place?"

Clap,clap,clap!

Ed turned towards the sound and saw the figure of a woman, her top half hidden by the shadows.

"l-Lust-sama!"

'Lust? Like the sin? Who calls a person that?' - Ed wondered absentmindedly.

"What a good show. You are even better than they say Mr. Elric. I'm very pleased." - an alluring and smooth voice spread through the room.

"Wha-!"

Suddenly Ed was kicked HARD on the back of his head. He flew for a few metres and slammed in the wall headfirst. He fell on the floor like a dead fish. His hazy gaze looked at his assailant. The world was spinning and ezerything was fuzzy but he managed to see them somehow.

'A humanoid palm tree...what the hell...and is that...'

"Man, you are some guardian! You can't even stop a brat. Pathetic!" - the currently identified as palm tree by Ed person said.

Said person picked the falled katana and proceeded to stab the pinned armour as the spirits inside cried out in pain.

'Sstop...' - Ed tried to move but couldn't even twitch a finger, his world was dimming and turning black.

"What should we do with im Lust?"

"He's needed alive Envy, h...s also an impo...uman sacr-fice after all..."

The woman had emerged from the shadows but Ed was still unable to clearly see her face.

'...? sac...rifice...ta...too...'

...

"Aaah!" - Ed screamed and stood up in the bed.

'Wait...bed...I'm not dead?'

Ed sniffed the air. It was sterile. Yup, a hospital. He rubbed his sore stomach, slightly surprised by not feeling pain.

'How long was I out?'

"Edward Elric!" - he turned towards the door and saw Lt. Ross.

"Lt. Ross! I-I didn't-"

SLAAAAAAP!

Ed was promptly slapped on the cheek, by the looks of it Ross was hurt more than him, she was rubbing her hand.

"How could you sneak out! This is one of, if not, the most irresponsible thing you could have done! You could have died! Don't ever do that again!"

"Yyes ma'm!" - Ed saluted with his only remaining arm.

"Good. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." she looked him suspiciously "Nno! I really am fine!"

"If you say so...I'm going to inform your brother, get you something to eat and after that we'll interrogate you about what happened in the 5th lab. You've been aleep for 2 days after all."

Ed was left alone for the moment. He sat there, his confusion just now showing on his face.

'Only two days?! Impossible! I should have spent much longer in bed for the pain to completely disapper and only ache slightly! Also those two...the woman and the palm tree...I swear at least the palm tree had somthing similar to my tattoo!...What did they mean by "also a...sacrifice..."?' - Ed thought about while waiting.

"Young Edward!" - Armstrong's booming voice sounded from the door.

"I tried to stop them but they didn't listen..." - Ross squeezed past the sparkling man while holding a tray of food.

After that Mustang, Hawkeye, Hughes and Havoc also entered the room, behind them a quiet Al also entered.

"Al, thank goodness you are fine!" (Ed)

"Hi, nii-san. I'm glad you are awake."

'Strange. Al seems unusually quiet. Something must have happened!' - Ed thought.

"Oh! Crap! I'll have to call Winry. She's going to kill me for breaking the automail so soon! Gaaah! What should I do?!"

...

(We're missing the part with the phone call, Al's existential crisis? and Winry scolding him, instead we skip to this! Enjoy!)

It was around 2 in the morning and the clinic was dead silent. Only the bugs outside the window and an occasional night bird could be heard. In the hospital room Al was sitting in a chair and looking out through the window.

'How could I have been so stupid? Nii-san would never lie to me, neither would Winry or Pinako baa-chan. I shouldn't have done this...'

"Hey, Al?"

Al looked at the lying figure of his brother. Ed was looking right at him. Moonlight making his golden eyes glow slightly.

"Yes nii-san? Do you need to call a doctor or bring you something? If you're..."

"No. We need to talk about some things and this is the best time, while we're alone."

"Can't it wait? At least untill you've recovered. The doctor said your wounds were not that serious but the one on your stomach had to be sewed! You need to rest for it to heal properly and not hurt!"

"That's the problem AL!" Ed said a bit louder but didn't dare shout "Wait for a bit, I have to check something."

Ed them promptly stood up despite his brother's protests. As quietly as he could, he walked towards the door and opened it. After making sure no one was eavesdroping, he returned to his bed and called Al to him. Al relucantly sat on the edge of the bed.

Unlike during the day, Ed didn't bother to pretend being in pain anymore. He still used the crutch given to him just to keep the image of a sick person.

'What's going on? Ed no longer looks as bad. In fact he acts as if nothing's wrong with him. His wounds should still be healing!' - Al thought, worry showing despite his armour body.

"Al, just before I start, I want you to promise me something."

"What nii-san?"

Ed looked him in the eyes with one of his serious expressions.

"Nothing of this can be told to anyone we can't trust! Winry and Pinako baa-chan also can't know, I don't want to worry them."

"Nii-san..."

"I..." Ed gulped nervously "I think something is going on. Not only with the events of the 5th lab but also...with me..."

"Wwhat do you mean...?"

"Do you remember that time I was missing and the tatto?"

"Yes, how can I forget something like that?! I was so worried back then! The others too!"

"I think my memories from back then are slowly returning..."

"Really?! Since when?! Why din't you tell me anything nii-san?"

"Don't interrupt me!" with a donk Ed hit Al on the head "Just stay quiet untill I explain, OK?"

Al nodded fot Yes. Ed cleared his throat and sat in a more comfortable position.

"I didn't tell you because it's only been a few glimpses, too short to make anything out but long enough to know it was terrible. While I was in the 5th lab I saw a strange transmutation circle and then a memory hit me. I think I saw a similar one whereever I've been kept. I-...I think the circle was precisely the one used to create a Philosopher's stone, there was blood after all..."

Al gasped but stayed silent, realizing that maybe his brother was almost used in a similar ritual made him shudder. If it really was used for what Ed speculated, then Ed was indeed lucky to be alive at the moment. Their initial suggestion of some slave trader/s kidnapping him seemed unusually better.

"Also...I think the _Ouboros tattoo_ has some other use than just 'marking stock'. You see...when we faced Scar..."

Ed then proceeded to explain what he felt saw and happened during those, aparently miliseconds, in the alley.

"Wow, that definetely isn't something usual nii-san."

"Yeah, I know. And finally, back before I was knocked out, I saw a woman and a palm tree man? At least I think it was a man... Anyways! I'm 100% sure the man had a tatto similar to mine, the woman too, maybe...I couldn't see the top part of her very well. She also said something like, ahem, 'also an important *something* sacrifice'. I'm not too sure but they need sacrifices, probably are allied with the army, so better not tell anybody about it or the tattoo. You see why we need to keep this a secret? I don't want to get imprisoned or be put under a watch. I'll find what exactly this tatto means and if I can remove it!"

"I got it nii-san! I won't say a word! I promise!"

"Good, one last thing."

"Tthere's more?!"

"I...think my body is not normal. I should be in pain, I know it! However, when I woke up I only felt a bit sore where my stomach was cut open and currently I feel no discomfort at all..."

"Brother..."

"A-Al...I'm kinda scared, to be fair... Can you please help me with the bandages? If my hunch iis right...my body should be completely healed...I want to make ssure I'm not delusional, do you understand?"

Al nodded and they slowly started to undo the bandages on his stomach. They both were scared to see it but they HAD TO! They knew this would mean Ed was no longer human, or not entirely human but some sort of chimera or mutant. They were going to make it through this. They would give it their all and succeed no matter what!

When the last layer of bandages fell, in front of their eyes appeared the completely healed and unblemished stomach of Ed. Ed stared in slight wonder and nevousness. Al on the other had was shell-shocked. He knew just how bad Ed's wound had been when they had brought him to the hospital. He even watched as the doctor sewed Ed's stomach and bandaged it along with all his other, albeit minor injuries...

"Wait! Does that mean those 'minor injuries' weren't minor?!" - Al asked Ed.

"I was nicked a few times with that dude's word...What?! It was a life or death battle for me! I was also cut on the shoulder, side of the ribs, on the leg and arm. Don't tell me they'd almost healed by the time I got here?!"

"I guess...Bbut don't worry! I doubt it was THAT fast. Otherwise people would have noticed it LONG ago!"

Ed let a sigh of relief.

"You said my stomach was stitched, right? So, where are the stitches? Don't tell me they are inside my body!?"

"nnNo, I don't think so! See, here!" - Al pointed at the bloodied bandage.

And true to his observation, among the slightly dried blood was the thread they used for the stitching. It had been expelled out of his body.

"Welp! At least I don't have to worry about things getting stuck in me, right?!" - *crickets chirping* Ed's attemp to lighten up the mood failed.

In the end they agreed to talk at a later date, preferably after his automail was fixed. They carefully put the bandages back and Ed went to sleep, or at least he tried to. He just seemed to be full of energy and could only lay there.

'I wonder what'll we do now...One thing's for sure, we need even more information than before. This may be very serious...Maybe we should go to Dublith and visit...no no! I have to consult it with Al first! I'm not facing her alone! I don't wanna die!'

===We meet again brats===

Ed's automail was fixed, his suitcase was ready and he had eaten whatever he could stomach due to nervousness. They were arriving in Dublith in a few hours and were about to face the mons-ahem their teacher.

They had used the few days they had in the clinic and in the train to read some alchemy books they managed to get. There was nothing on Ed's tatto. Only general knoledge of what it represented, it's meaning and legends. Nothing about alchemy and similar things. They eventually let it go and instead prepared for their encounter. Knowing how their teacher was, they had to make every effort to survive their meeting!

=Flashback to before Rush valley=

"A-al...we're making the right decision, ringt...?"

"Ii tthink sso nii-san..."

"Jeez! Why are you acting so scared? You faced a murderer and whatnot in these few months but you act so scared just because you're meeting your teacher. What's up with that?"

""You don't understand how scary she can be Winry!"" - the two brothers said at once.

"How scary can a woman be?" - she asked, doubt evident in her voice.

=End=

"HAAAAAAA!"

"Guah!" - Ed gets kicked and sent flying into a wall.

"Don't think I haven't heard. You became a dog of the military!... Hmm, who are you?"

"Iit's mme Alphonse...Hi sensei."

"Oh, Al, you've grown up!"

Al relucantly steps closer but it's a mistake. She judo flips him roughly on the pavement and his helmet somehow falls off.

'DAMN! How can the stupid helmet decide to fall off right now?!' - Ed starts to sweat.

"You...EXPLAIN HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, NOOOOOW! Gueh!" - blood spurts out of her mouth.

""Sensei!""

=One long and familiar explanation later...=

"So that's what happened..." - Izumi sighs tiredly.

""We're sorry, sensei...""

Suddenly she stands up and the brothers begin to fear for their lives but she surprises them with a hug.

"Good job. You went to the gate and managed to survive, I'm glad..." she lets them go and looks at them with a loving gaze "I also am no better...I also tried to bring someone back...and failed. I can't blame and judge you for a mistake I also did." - she rubbed the lower half of her stomach.

"You...don't tell me you tried to ressurect your child?!" - Ed asked her, shocked.

"Indeed, I did. And it was my biggest mistake ever."

"Sensei..."(Al)

"Leave."

""What/Huh?""

"Leave. I cannot accept you as my students after what you've done and became dogs of the military! You are expelled, leave my house! NOW!"

"OK...sensei..." - Ed said through gritted teeth.

"Nii-san!"

"We accept..." Ed's fist clenched "BUT I WON'T LEAVE!"

Everyone was shocked by his reaction.

"I'm gonna return Al's body and fix everything! I'm not giving up! Not even in front of you! We need to ask you some questions and I'm not leaving!"

"You stuuuuupid!" she punched him and he didn't even try do dodge or block "You sure have more guts!"

"I learned from the best..." - Ed managed to say through the pain.

"OK. Ask away, we'll see if I can help you." - she sat back on her chair.

...

"So...basically we have to somehow make Al remember...easier said than done... _considering my own situation..._ " - Ed muttered the last part quietly but Izumi heard it.

"What do you mean? Care to explain?"

"I also have some forgotten memories and I still know next to nothing about what happened back then..." Izumi and Sig look at him questioningly "Sigh...do you want the long or shortened version?"

"The short version please." - Izumi says as Sig goes to bring some more tea.

"Basically when I was a kid, before mom died, I disappeared for around half a day. They found me the next morning in front of Winry's house with this mark on my neck."

"Mark? What mark? I haven't seen anything like it." - she sounds genuinely surprised.

"I'll show you later. BUT! After some new information from the past few months, I believe the tattoo is no ordinary one! It has some sort of purpose and I fear it may be something connected to the Philosopher's stone. Maybe...maybe whoever took me, wanted to use me to refine one but I had somehow managed to escape...That's my theory at least." Ed says grimly "We haven't told anyone else because I also suspect the military's trying to make Philosopher stones and I fear what they may do if they find out."

"Wha..." Izumi and Sig look at Ed, horror on their faces " Ed, Show it to me!" - Izumi quickly goes next to Ed.

He turns his back to her and lifts his braid up, holding any other stray hairs away with his other hand. And there, just inder his hairline was the Ouboros tattoo in it's full glory.

"Hmm...no wonder I didn't notice a thing, it's surprisingly well-hidden and it not being too big also helped. You never mentioned it...does this mean it started doing something just recently?"

"Yeah, in fact we thought it was some slave trader's mark than anything involving alchemy. I had almost forgotten it was there untill it did something during a fight."

"What did it do?"

"Don't know exactly. There was a jolt and then everything was strange. Moving slowly and these weird lights all around. Moreover, I saw 2 people in 5th lab. I'm sure at least one of them had a similar tattoo and they talked about me also being a sacrifice or someting like that."

"Hmm...we have to look at this throughly. Maybe there's something in my books? Ah, we can also ask a very experienced person in that field I met recently!"

"Really?! Who is he?" - Al asks.

"He said his name was Van Hohenheim."

Bang!

Ed slams his fist on the table.

"No! I'm not going to...to that bastard! It's better for me to look for information myself!"

"You seem to hate him. Some history with him?" - Izumi asks.

"The damn bastard left mom and us! He didn't even come after she died!"

"OK. I won't ask anymore. I leave it to you. It's your own decisions to make from now on and I can only offer small advices and support."

=Several days later=

"Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! I tottaly forgot about the yearly State Alchemist assessment! Al, have ta go or else my license will be revoked. I'll be back as soon as I can!" - Ed said as he ran towards the train station.

=Some days after with Al=

Al was in deep trouble now. He had encountered some people with strange abilities and he was now tied and in their base. The "Devil's nest" and was really nervous. He was surrounded by several more of them.

'It looks like they are waiting for something...or someone...' - Al thought when he heard footsteps approaching the door.

A strong-looking man with black hair and round unglases kicked the door open, behind him the katana man and the bald one with the tail, Bido. The man's taste in fashion was pecular and he walked a bit slouched, his hands never left the pockets of his leather pants. The gaze the man used to look at him was also strange and was creeping the boy out. The man stopped in front of him and stared for a bit.

"So, boy...I want to know the secret of immortality. Tell it to me!"

"Wha...what do you mean by that?!"

"You are immortal, right? Tell me how can I also become immortal."

"I-I don't know! I really don't."

"Hmm...doesn't seem that you are lying...Hey! Maybe we can use you to bait your brother here, right? If you don't at least he should know! Somebody sent a note to 'im!"

=With Izumi=

Izumi was pissed. First Ed went off to get some things done on short notice and now, just as he was about to return (he had called earlier that day) Al disappeared somewhere while in town and hasn't come back yet. Just then a piece of paper falls through the window to the floor.

'Damn it! Who the hell dares to throw their trash in-?!' - she's about to tear it abart when she notices it.

On the inside there's writing.

{To the Fullmetal brat. We've got your brother. If tou want him in one piece, come to the Devil's nest alone. We'll negotiate there.}

She then proptly trows it across the room.

"How dare they use one of my stupid students as hostages for ransooom!? And what's he doing, not escaping by now?! Sig! I'm soing to beat some dumbasses up!"

"OK. Just watch out for your health!"

She then promptly leaves for the designated place. They had made a big mistake by not making sure that Ed recieved the note.

=Back with Al=

"I'm not a chimera like them! I'm a Homunculus."

"Tthat's impossible! No one has ever managed to make one!"

"Oh, really?"

Crack!

The big guy, Roa, smashes Greed's head with his hammer.

"Hhow could you?!"

Crackle...crackle!

Red sparks danced as Greed's head regenerated.

"That's one death for me." he cracked his neck "You see now kid, nothing is impossible!"

Just then Al notices what was on the back of Greed's hand. A tattoo just like the one on Ed's neck.

'Wwait...does that mean that nii-san...nii-san is...iiis a H-Homunculus?! Nno! Iit's impossible! But...'

"Huh?! Boss, someone's coming!" - Dolcetto says as he faces the door.

And truthfully a bit later the black and blue body of a beaten up chimera crashes through the door and into the wall. From the smoke and dust the two angry, red eyes of one woman glow.

"How DARE you take one of the boys and demand ransom HUUUUH?! I'm gonna kill you ten time over you bastards!" - she steps closer and cracks her knuckles.

"Who the fuck are you?! I asked for the Fullmetal brat." - Greed stares at her.

"Ssensei!" - Al struggles to get free.

"Martel! Hold him still!" Greed commands "I don't know who are you auntie but you definetely aren't s'posed to be 'ere!"

"Are you the boss?!" - she asks.

"Yeah, I'm the boss here."

"Haaaaaah!"

Izumi suddenly smashes his nose and sents him crashing in the wall.

"Greed-sama!" - Dolcetto tries to go and help but is stopped.

"Don't interfere! I'm dealing with this bitch alone!" - Greed says as he deploys his ultimate shield.

The other chimera relucantly leave, taking Al with them. Izumi tries to stop them but Greed blocks her.

"Looks like I'll have to deal with you before I can take my stupid disciple home, huh?"

"Sorry, but I'm not loosing my bargaining chip so easily!"

Both of them then engage in a litteral earth splitting fight.

=With Al and the others=

TATATATATATATATATATATATAAAA!

Bullets rained on every chimera as soldiers entered deeper in the Devil's nest.

"Martel! Go with the boy and hide undergrownd! Make sure he doesn't escape, hes our bargaining chip!" - Dolcetto said as he pulled his katana out.

"What about you two?" - she asks from inside Al.

"Don't worry. Me and Roa will slow them down. Go!"

She grit her teeth and went down the secret passage leading to the sewers. Al was not struggling at all. After running for a while, she stopped, panting.

"yYou are surprisingly cooperative, boy. Why so?"

"I don't want you to get killed. It'll be bad, you know."

"I see..." - with a clang she made Al sit on the floor.

They stayed like that for a while before Al decided to break the silence.

"So...your boss is a Homunculus..."

"Yeah."

"Uum...wwhat do you know, you know, about him?"

"Not much actually. Even though he talks a LOT, he doesn't like to speak of his past."

"Ddid something bad happen to him?" - Al was slowly getting relaxed.

"How should I know?! We tried asking 'im but the best answer we got was him cursing and muttering 'damn old man'. In the end we quit trying to ask him."

'He has problems with his father? Is that the man that created him? Or is he instead the one that made him a Homunculus? I have to get some more information!' - Al forms a plan in his head.

"You seem quiet all of a sudden. What's wrong?"

"Nnothing! I was just thinking about stuff."

"What stuff? We may have to wait for a while. I hope someone comes here quickly so we can leave and hide..." - she mutters to herself.

"So...what's your history with Greed?"

"He saved us all. We were human experiments but he took us and took care of us. He may be rough and rude but to be honest, he's secretly a mother hen. How did they call it? Tsundere? Long story short, he earned both our trust and respect. We owe our lives to him and would give them for him."

"I see...hey, miss Martel."

"What?"

"Greed says he's been alive for more than 200 years. Is that true? How is it possible? Does he...!"

"WOW! Slow down. Firstly, Greed may be many things but he doesn't lie, he's good at bluffing but the moment you catch him, he panics and fails. Secondly, I don't know. He's looked the same ever since I met him! Some older members told me he's never aged at all. You've seen his abilities, so it should be obvious he's not normal. But...you seem quite interested in him... don't tell me you want to try becoming one or making one?!"

"Nno! It's just my brother, he-" BANG, clatter! "...!? Hiii!"

Both Dolcetto and Roa enter. They are a mess and unable to fight but still alive.

"We'll talk later." she whispers to Al and turns to talk to them "What happened?! Where are the others?"

"A-all are ddead." - Roa says while limping on one leg.

"And Greed-sama?"

"Aj, he's coming just about..." (Dolcetto)

"DIEEEE! You fuckers!"

"...now." (Roa)

"Dang! Those bastards are fucking persistent! Let's get outta here!" - Greed said as he deactivated his shield and went to help Roa walk faster.

'Wow, he really does seem to care about them. Maybe when everything is settled and things calm down, he may be willing to help us if we ask him...' - Al mused as he followed behind.

Tap tap tap...

The sound of footsteps echoed from the tunnel in front of them and it wasn't theirs.

"I'm afraid I can't let you continue any further."

In front of them appeared the Furer and drwe 2 of his swords.

"Who the fuck are you old man?!" - Greed stepped forward.

"Oh, you don't know? Now that's a surprise..."

"The Furer, King Bradley...It's you..." - Dolcetto grit his teeth in anger.

"I don't care who are you old man..." Greed covered his hands in shield "...but ya aren't sanding in my path!"

"We'll see about that." - Bradley got ready.

They then attacked eachother.

=Timeskip=

Ed was cleaning Al's bloodied armour while his brother sat on the stone steps all quiet.

"How are you Al?" - Ed asks concerned.

"Not fine, nii-san...it was all a misunderstanding..."

"HOW was it a misunderstanding?! They kidnapped you AL!"

"They didn't deserve to die! I was not hurt and they said they only wanted to talk to you!"

"Well, they could've done it in another way! When I saw the note, it looked like some friggin thugs wanted to use ya for cash!"

Both of them stared at eachother, only the sound of dripping water could be heard.

Creaaaak!

The sound of the creaking front door made them cease their staring contest. They looked around the corner and saw the Furer walking out of the store.

"Have a nice day!" - Bradley told Sig and boarded his car.

"You can come out now." Sig said after the car left "I doubt you were unnoticed either way..."

...

"So, you got your memories from the Gate back?" - Izumi asks Al.

"Yeah. It was all strange..." (Al makes the strange wiggly thing with his arms)

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?!" (Ed)

"Because the Furer and the other guys from the army were here!"

"What does this have with...WAIT! Does that mean you have some information on the tatto?! That's great!"

"Yes, I think so. Unfortunately I have nothing on human transmutation that may help us..."

"Well, it's better than we expected. Let's hear it." - Izumi said and wiped a trickle of blood coming from the corner of her mouth.

"Sensei, you remember that guy, Greed, you fought against, right?"

"Of course. He was strong and freaky, especially hard to deal with untill I figured his shield was just transmuted carbon. After that the bastard ran and I lost him...Does he have some kind of information?"

"He HAD...the Furer killed him, along with the others..."

Uncomfortable silence stretched for quite a while untill Ed broke it.

"So, what did you learn?"

"I-I think you...Nii-san...you..."

"Just say it Al. We need every piece of information!"

"Nii-san...I think that you...are a-a-a...a Homunculus!"

"Wha..." - Ed was petrified on spot, fear clear in his eyes.

Sig halted mid-way through his work and Izumi dropped the glass of water she had been sipping from on the floor. The sound of it shattering brought everyone back.

"I'll clean this up!" - Sig hurried to get a cloth to clean the carpet.

"Hhow can that be possible?! No one's managed to create a Homunculus! There's no way I'm one!" - Ed was clearly in denial and was panicking.

He sat on his chair, head clutched in his hands, gazing at his feet as he tried to get rig of the 'feeling'. It was a small hunch, a voice in his head that said [He is right. You are a you know it!] .

"Edward Elric!" Izumi shouted "Get back to your senses!"

Ed looked up and met her gaze. It was both scary and comforting. He closed his eyes and breathed. Slowly trying to calm himself down. He HAD to be rational at an important moment like this.

Izumi and Al shared a look and agreed to not mention to Ed that during his freakout sparks had started to come out from the back of his neck. The sight made them shudded for some reason. Their instincts had told them something bad would happen if it continued.

"Haaaa...ok...I think I'm fine now. So, Al...why do you think that I'm a h-h-homunculus?"

"I-I don't think your theory was entirely wrong nii-san. You said you had seen the circle used for the Philosopher's stone before, right?" Ed nods "I think you WERE intended to be part of or watched an attempt at making a stone while you were gone. We'll know when you regain your memories, hopefully...Anyways, Greed, that was his name, said he was a homunculus and by the way he showed his tattoo off after demonstrating, I think it IS some sort of symbol that all homunculi have."

"So, that means at least the palm tree man was also a homunculus. And most importantly, there are MORE of them. But how the heck did I turn into one?! I clearly remember everything before and after the accident and I'm 10000% sure I didn't have this tatto back then. Doeas that mean that...I'm...I'm not..."

"Don't you DARE go that way! If you even THINK of thinking something like that again, I'll bury you so deep you won't be found anymore! UNDERSTAND?!" - Izumi seemed to loom over him.

"YYES SENSEI!"

"Good! Remember, you are you and that's all that matters... Alphonse, please continue."

"OK. So, here's what I managed to learn from them:

\- Greed is almost immortal, I saw his head crushed and he regenerated it almost instantly. This IS similar to how we discovered how your wounds had healed rapidly."

"Good thing we managed to hide it. Imagine what may have happened if they discovered this back in Central." (Ed)

The brothers shuddered at the mental image og mad scientists looming over them.

" - He has aparently lived for more than 200 years. We can't check this up, so I'm not sure if it's true.

\- He has the 'Ultimate shield'. An ability to create armour on his entire body. I don't think you have an ability like that nii-san, so don't worry too much. He refered to it in singular manner, so there's probably only one with this ability.

\- He doesn't age. That's not true for you nii-san. You've definetely aged and grown.

And probably the most important information I managed to get from Martel-san before she...excuse me for a moment...

-There aparently is someone that made Greed. I don't know if the person is alive or not, if there are others that know how to make homunculi, even how was Greed made. Was he a human turned into a homunculus or was he made a homunculus from the very beginning...I'm asking myself this even now.

What shall we do now nii-san?"

"I-I don't know Al...but! I'm sure we'll manage something! We'll pull it through and get your body back! Who knows, maybe there's something that may even help me."

"That's right! We'll manage it somehow nii-san!"

"YUP! We're never giving up! But, we have to be even more careful of the military now, especially towards Furer Bradley. His orders to kill everyoone were wat too SUSPICIOUS! I think he may have some personal history with one of them, and my gut is telling me it was that Greed guy."

"Now that you mention it...I think the Furer was surprised not because Greed didn't know him as the Furer but for something else...! Nii-san, maybe the Furer is also a homunculus!"

"No way...do you know what this may mean?!"

Clap!

Izumi loudly clapped her hands together.

"OK! I think that's enough talking for today boys! Go call Sig and prepaere the table for dinner! You'll be able to talk and do whatever experiments or theories tomorrow, got it?!"

""Yes, sensei!"

"Good! Now off you go."

They left, leaving Izumi alone on the table. She propped her chin on her knuckles and was deep in thought.

'As if they hadn't been through enough...and now THIS mess. Both of them are shocked by this. I don't have any doubts that they will make it through this new ordeal and become stronger from it but... I fear for what the future will have in stock for them. I pray that they would be ready by the time it comes...

What exactly happened for him to turn in a homunculus?!'


	3. Chapter 3

"speech"

'thinking'

===They came from east===

[What's the thing that looks and acts like a stray cat but is instead a bottomless pit in disguise?]

Aparently a runaway prince from Xing! What a surprise! And his name is Ling Yao!

BUT before that, let's recap what happened since the last time...

Ed and Al had stayed at Izumi's home for a few days before deciding to go and visit Winry back in Rush Valley. They had heard how well it was going for her and decided to visit for a day or two before returning to Central.

While at Izumi's they tried different things and experimented to see if there was something more with Ed's now identified as a possible homunculus' body. Izumi would have killed them with her death glare alone if they had even DARED to try what they wanted to do, so they tested Ed's reaction speed, strenght, flexibility and healing. There were some results in the end. Ed had been the same as he ever was but when they compared him to the average human male standards, he was a lot stronger and had better reaction speed. After that they sectetly cut his finger, not much, just to draw blood, and watched how long it took him to heal. It took him 15 seconds to heal and the mark of the cut to disappear. They speculated that it might be due to him a) being an _incomplete_ homunculus or inferior in some way to the others, b) his ability not being as strong because not all homunculi can heal instantly or c)he has to somehow 'activate' his abilities for them to work like Greed's. Unfortunately Izumi had heard their plans and made them work for the last two days of their stay. They couldn't even see if Ed could enter the 'state' (what they decided to call the thing Ed experienced while fighting Scar) willingly or if he had a special power like Greed's.

After that they said their goodbyes and boarded the train to Rush Valley. When arriving there and heading toward's Winry's store, Al had heard some noise from an alley. Due to his innocent nature, the boy decided to look and found a fainted and VERY hungry man. The younger twin then freaked out his older brother and begged to help the man. That's Al for ya, such a sweet and kind boy, always trying to help others...Instead the man turned into a pit that inhaled more than a dozen plates of food in one meal!

"Aaaah! Now this was tasty!" - Ling patted his belly.

"Good to hear..."- Ed said through his teeth, clearly angry with the man.

"Yaaaah...ya got mah thanks!" Ling laughed "Hey,miss, can I get two more plates?" - he asked the waitress.

"You are NOT getting anymore food off us, you leech!" - Ed shouted.

"Sheesh...what a temper!"

"Calm down, nii-san! By the way, my name is Alphonse and this is my brother Edward. What's your name?"

"Me? I'm Ling, Ling Yao. I'm from the Yao clan from Xing and a prince!"

"Oh? Is that so? Tell me, Mr prince, why are you here, leeching off us rather than staying at your home?" - Ed asked.

"Welp, I came her for a reason!" Ling got serios "I'm looking for a way to gain immortality! Do you know something about it, the Philosopher's stone I mean?"

"No idea at all!" - Ed said as calmly as he could.

"You are lying." - Ling said confidently.

"Oh, how do you know?" - Ed got tense, ready for a sneak attack, Al did the same.

"First, you tensed for a second then I mentioned it. Second, you Elric brothers are quite famous here. And third... I've never met people with such a pecular energy as you two."

Ed and Al got ready to fight and Ling called his two bodyguards, Fu and Lan Fan. They drew their blades and attacked the boys with lightning speed.

"Damn it!" - Ed cursed as Lan Fan's blade cut some of his hair.

Ed and Al tried to fight the 3 Xingese off but it was as if they could predict their moves. They would use surprise tactics and teamwork against the brothers. Ed knew they would loose like this and although he didn't like the alternative, he decided to go with it.

"Al! Let's split!"

"OK Nii-san!"

They went in two opposite directions. Fu followed Al and Lan Fan went after Ed. Ling wondered after who he should go but a smell lured him away and he wandered off, again.

(After this follows the very same battle scene from the brotherhood anime and I'm quite crappy at describing them, especially long battles in multiple places like that, so excuse me. Thank you!)

Al caught Fu, Ed tied up Lan Fan and now really needed to get a new automail arm. Ling on the other hand appeared, munching on a piece of bread.

"Hey! Ling, thanks to your bodyguards, my arm was broken! YOU would have to explain why to my mechanic! Now!" - Ed lifted Ling off the bench and shouted in his face.

"Well...to be honest, I didn't expect you to be alble to bear them! Ahaha..."

"Hmph, once I figured her weakness out, it was easy to fool her with all the smoke and arm."

Lan Fan struggled against the restraints but was unable to escape. Fu was also wrapped nicely by Al. After fixing all the damage to buildings and machines their fight caused, Ed and Al decided to make a truce with the three Xingese people and lead them to Central before parting ways. They agreed and stayed with the brothers while Winry fixed Ed's arm. Turns out she was not only terrifying to Ed. When she heard about the incident, not only he but Lan Fan and Ling got a taste of her wrench.

Dinner soon came and Ling ate together with them, Fu and Lan Fan stayed outside to guard him.

"Lan Fan." Fu whispered "Did you sense it?"

"Yes..." she said and frowned "The one in the armour has no pulse but still has a presence, the other one though...I've never felt anything like that. He looks and acts human but..." she shuddered "I'm sure he's not. What exactly is he?! I don't sense any ill intentions or aura from him but still! What if the young lord gets hurt?!" - she replied as quietly as she could.

"We only need to protect him. I trust him to be able to make the right decision, I hope you can also have trust in his judgement."

"Hey, you two, come in and get some food! It's quite tasy, ya know." - Winry said from inside.

They looked through the window and saw Ling motioning them to come in. They did so and also sat on the table, enjoying the food secretly.

=The next morning=

"...So! I decided to stick with you untill I find some leads about immortality!" - Ling happyly said after they had breakfast.

"No way! Go away! I'm not bringing you with us to Central! Isn't it enough you leeched off us? Now go on your own way and leave us!" - Ed shouted.

"Nii-san! Calm down..."

"I'm NOT calming down Al! They probably even came here illegally, they should be glad we haven't called the police." - Ed crossed his arms and looked away, humph-ing.

"You realize we know martial arts, right?" - Ling smiles, foxy eyes on the horizon.

"Ugh..." (Ed)

"So! Unless you go out of your way to stop us, we'll be following you!" - he beamed at the blond boy.

Fu and Lan Fan nodded in agreement. Ling was right and everyone kew that they can easyly board the train unnoticed.

...

"...I still can't believe them!" - Ed ranted.

"Calm down nii-san! We don't want to bother the other passengers, so can you lower your voice a bit?"

Ed grumbled something but listened to Al and sat down.

"Jeez, Ed, why are you still ranting about them? You've been doing this for a few hours already, how isn't your throat sore by now?" - Winry asked from the seat next to him.

"Don't know. Why aren't you blind from staring at tiny automail barts every day?" - Ed sarcastically replied.

"I hate you!" she hit him on the head "I'm mad now. Al, I'll go out for some alone time, away from jerks!" - she glared at Ed and left.

As soon as she was gone, Ed and Al exchanged knowing looks and nodded to eachother. It was clear that the average person wouldn't be able to keep ranting like Ed did without some damage to his vocal cords or dry throat, but the boy wasn't even irritated. Both of them knew very little about both the Homunculi and the Philosopher's stone from what they'd managed to gather these past few months. It was obvious that something BIG was happening and they wanted to find out what. Now, with the 3 Xingese trailing behind them, it would be harder to find information, stay under the radar and keep Ed's secret. Ed was ranting more because he didn't want them to snoop about him rather than his dislike towards Ling.

Ed told no one, not even Al (because the 3 travelers were sleeping over and was too risky), that while fighting Lan Fan he had been cut on the leg and would have been unable to run. Thakfully because of the smoke, the sparks coming from his rapid regeneration were unseen by Lan Fan. He was a bit worried but since they never asked questions, he decided to leave it for when the Xingese were out of earshot to tell Al.

'But it's a bit disturbing... I clearly remember there were no alchemic sparks until recently and I think my wounds didn't heal as fast. Doeat that mean my abilities are improving or awakening due to something? Would that have any effects on me? Would it...?'

"Winry! You're back." (Al)

"Yes, a few smokers came out to smoke, so I returned. I can't understand them, even my grandma, why do they smoke? It ruins their health, doesn't it? And it smells really bad sometimes."

"Yeah, it sure does, but nothing can be done about it." - Ed stretched and yawned.

"Hph! I'm not talking to you stupid Ed!" - she pouted and looked away from him.

"Hey, won't you quit it? How long do you plan to pout about it?" (Ed)

"Not until you apologise and admit I'm the greatest and better than you!" - she said a bit childishly.

"No way in hell am I doing this!"

"Why you little-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PINT-SIZED MIGET?!"

"Nii-san...Winry..." - Al tried to calm them down.

"You. Who else do you see in this cart being this small?"

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M SO SMALL I CAN'T SEE OVER THE SEATS? HUH?!"

...

"Young lord! Whaere are you?!"

"Young lord!"

Fu and Lan Fan shouted as they hopped from train roof to train roof. Ling's habbit had kicked in as soon as the train stopped. While they were desperately searching for Ling, Ed, Al and Winry were already in a car far away from the station.

"I still think it's not nice leaving them like that." - Winry told Ed.

"Hmph! It's their own problem they can't keep an eye on the leech." 'This is rather good! The farther away from them, the less of a chance for them to find my secret out!' - Ed smirked a bit as he looked out of the window.

"But still, being lost like that musn't be nice..." - Al said quietly from his side of the car.

"That's right! See Ed, even Al thinks so." - she looked him in the eyes.

Ed grumbled something under his breath and turned towards his girl-... FRIEND and brother.

"Grr...Stop bothering me with this! There are MORE important things to do right now! Moreover, the way they are shouting around town, I'm sure we'll see them in Central's prison sooner or later."

"Won't that be bad?" (Winry)

"A-actually not! You see... sometimes alchemists can vouch for people to be released, so depending on how things are, we'd probably be able to release them from prison!" - Al explained to her.

She nodded and stopped bugging Ed. The rest of the journey was peaceful. Soon they reached HQ and headed towards Mustang's office. Ed and Al for report and Winry because she wanted to greet Hughes.

"Ah! Ed, Al, Winry! Hou've you been? Haven't seen you in quite a while." - Havoc said from his desk.

"We're fine, thanks!" - Winry smiled.

Ed just waved and Al bowed and greeted him politely. They knocked on Mustang's door and waited.

"Enter." - he said from inside.

Ed swaggered in with Al and Winry behind him.

"Oh, Edward, glad to see you here after such a long time. I thought you might've decided to quit the military." - Mustang said while filling in papers under Riza's watchful gun- I mean eye.

"Who do you think I am?! I wouldn't run when we're so close to some answers!" - Ed got annoyed and blurted out.

He stiffened when he realized his mistake.

"Care to explain?" - Roy asked him with his usual smirk.

Ed sighed and started to explain, not telling the parts about him possibly being an artificial human or some alchemic experiment. He finished and waited to see the reactions of everyone. Winry was scared, Al was looking at him with a look his "Big bro sense" translated to : 'We have to talk later' , Riza stared with slight shock and Roy was in his thinking pose.

"Hmm...This IS extremely uncalled for. Why would the Furer do such a thing? To just some thugs in a bar...Awfully unfit for a leader."

"I-I better go out...Sssee you later ok?" - Winry said, obviously uncomfortable.

"OK, Winry. Just call before 16:30! We'd still be here by then." - Al said and Ed just waved a goodbye to her.

Ed and Al looked at Roy, he looked at Riza. She put her gun down and nodded. After her permission, Roy bolted away from the papers as if they were toxic. The four of them sat on the couches, Ed and Al facing Riza and Roy.

"To tell you the truth, I'm also a bit, no, very concerned about Furer's behavior." - Riza was the first one to speak.

"Yyeah! I think it was just too cruel to do this to those guys, even though they were chimeras and escapees, they didn't deserve to be slaughtered..." Al shook "Eeven Martel, she...she..." - he hiccuped, armor rattling.

Riza and Roy looked at Ed inquisitively. Ed grimaced as if he'd eaten something rotten.

"Long story short...There was a woman hidden inside Al and our ' _great_ ' Furer decided it'll be appropriate to kill her right there. On spot! The bastard didn't even try to get her out and Al still hasn't forgotten it, I doubt he could ever forget it!" Ed placed a hand on Al's shoulder, looking caringly at his little brother "Can you imagine it? Seeing a person killed in your arms is bad enough, but this is..."

"Monstrous." - Roy finished, arms crossing as he leaned back.

It was a grimm revelation that made everyone think, even Ed knew he had to wait to share his findings.

'Should I tell them? No! I... it'd be better to talk to Al first and maybe do it in a more secure place. Who knows who might be listening...'

Ed then allowed his eyes to wander about the place. There was a new vase with flowers in the room. The previous one was gona and a black one replaced it. A color that was very similar to what Al told him about Gree...d...! Ed almost jumped to the ceiling.

"Is something wrong Fullmetal?"

"Ah, no, it's just that I thought of something. And, to be honest, it came as quite a shock."

"Please, elaborate." (Riza)

"I think the Furer is actually trying to cover something and this whole mess at the Devil's nest was him making sure a witness doesn't reveal his plans, or those of..."

"Of who Fullmetal?" - Roy asked with a certain sharpness in his eyes.

"You see...I can't talk about this now. We don't know who may be listening."

"That's true. There may be someone eavesdropping on us." - Riza said thoughtfully.

"For once, you actually THINK Fullmetal!" (Roy)

"Do you say I don't thin...?! No." Ed actually stopped himself and the other 3 were surprised "It's not the time. We need to talk about it at a safer place. Do you agree?" - he looked Roy and Riza in the eyes.

The two stiffened for a second. There was this seriousnes and unwavering determination in Ed's eyes they had not seen before. Suddenly Ed seemed to loom over them with his presense and authority, which was strange considering their ranks and experience. At this moment however Ed looked like some dangerous being that can snap them without even moving much. Fortunately they managed to nod weakly. Ed was pleased and sat down, no longer looking at them, presense also disappearing. Roy and Riza sighed in relief, a breath they didn't even realize they were holding.

"I and Al need a bit more time but we'll contact you to tell where and when we'd meet. Is that alright?"

"Y-Yes. It is..." (Roy)

"Good! Then, we'd be going." Ed scribbled something on a piece of paper and gave it to Roy "Read it and destroy it after. Only you two may know." he stood up and stretched "Come on Al!"

"Where are you going?" - Riza asked.

"We're planning to sign in, see Sheska, and Hughes. In fact we're planning to visit his family. Where is he by the way?" (Ed)

"Yeah, we haven't seen him at all!" (Al)

Roy and Riza shared a look and also stood up from the coach.

"You see, he moved! Yeah, he's not in Central anymore, so-!?" - Roy was interrupted by a glare from Ed.

"Stop..." - Ed whispered, fists shaking with anger.

'What's happening?! Nii-san is suddenly angry, why? Is it something related to the Ouroboros?'

Roy was yet again frozen. Golden eyes glared at him, like a hot, liquid metal being poured on his bare flesh.

'Since when had Fullmetal become so...'

"Stop lying!" - Ed finally shouted.

"Wwhat might you be talking about?" - Roy tried to stay calm but was secretly sweating bullets.

"Don't lie to me! I can see it on your face, in your eyes... What happened to Hughes?!" - Ed grabbed him by the shirt.

No one dared to move...

"...dead..." Roy said quietly, not daring to look at Ed or Al "... He's dead..."

"Wha..." - both brothers looked with horror.

"He got too deep...he was killed by someone...I'm sorry. I didn't want you to learn about it like that. I'm sorry...2nd Lt. Ross is in prison for it." - Roy said quietly, hiding his grief behind his poker face.

They waited for Ed's explosive outburst, but like a LOT of things today, it didn't come.

"So... _ **it wAsn't... it couldn't...**_ " Ed released him "Like THAT could have EVER ended well, shitty womanizer." - with a bone- chilling coldness in his voice Ed finished.

He took his things and ran out of the office as quickly as he could. Al followed him, just barely keeping up with him.

"Colonel...?" - Breda asked.

"He learned about it." - was all Roy said and closed his door.

He sat on his desk with a tired sigh and looked at the papers. He decided it would be better than thinking too much about the events without having any of the information the brothers had gathered. Even Riza wasn't in the mood to take out her guns. He sighed yet again and decided to see the note Ed had given him. It said {Look CAREFULLY at the map! Second element on all forearms}.

He showed it to Riza and then burned it in the ash tray until nothing was left.

"What do you think he meant with this Colonel?"

"Well...guess we'll see..." he looked at the map "Nothing unusual about it...I don't see any new markings or anything unusual. Just Amestris in it's circular...glory..."

A lightbulb appeared over his head and he went to his desk. Taking a smaller map, a few pins and pens, he spread it over the table and began making lines. Riza looked from behind as he worked. He put dots, symbols, lines and under most he wrote names, dates and places. The more she looked at the map, the cleared the picture became. By the time Roy was done, she was looking at the map with dread.

"Tthis...how can _this be_ ...?" (Riza)

"A transmutation circle...haha...Hahahahaha!" Roy laughed, slight madness in his voice as he supported himself on his desk "Our country is a friggin' transmutation circle! Hahaha! I always thought it was strange...the wars and how they suddenly stopped, even though the country could have gained more land... they were making a giant transmutation circle!" - Roy slumped in his chair.

"The question is, why are they doing it?" - Riza looked at the map and promptly turned around, unable to look at it.

'All the destruction, all this death and blood...so many lives lost. Does this mean all I did was HELP...!?' - she was sick by the mere thought. Being a soldier at that time looked even more repulsive to her.

"We HAVE to talk to the brothers as soon as possible!" - Roy folded the small map and hid it in his inner pocket.

"Indeed, but I think it'll be better to wait for Edward to calm down first. Not to mention our little 'date' we're having soon."(Riza)

"I agree. Nothing of this comes out of this room until I say so! We don't know who may be the enemy. As for the second part of Fullmetal's note..." Roy whispered in her ear "Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" - she saluted.

Both of them returned to their work and just in time. A certain rat named Envy had heard the Elrics were back, so he decided to check on Roy to see if he could gather some information. To the sin's dismay, the brothers were long gone and the map was hidden before he even snuck near the colonel's office. Envy scowled and left soon after.

=Meanwhile with Ed=

Ed was running through the halls of HQ and Al chased him. Just like with the cat but reversed. Soon Ed burst through the front doors and out on the streets of Central.

"Wait for me nii-san!" (Al)

Ed, however, wasn't listening.

'No...NONONONONOO! It can't be! It couldn't be true!'

=Flashback=

Ed, Al and Winry were in the train to Central. The annoying ninja were away on the roof, the argument with Winry was also done with, so Ed stretched and yawned.

'I guess a quick nap wouldn't hurt anyone...'

...Dream...

TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! (IDK?)

Loud train whistle sounded and Ed realized he was on an empty train station. It was strange, not a soul was there, not even on the train. A tap on the shoulder spooked him.

"Guaah!" - he screamed and jumped away, ready for a fight.

To Ed's shock, he saw one Maes Hughes, in civilian clothing, smiling broadly at him.

"Yo, Ed, I see you are energetic as ever!"

"Hughes?! What are you doing?! Spooking me like that... Where is everyone? Did you come to greet us or accompany us?" - Ed relaxed.

"Yaa...you see, I kinda couldn't help but tease you a bit! Also, I'm not here to greet anyone or accompany anyone. I'm leaving! Haha!" - he laughed, same goofy face as ever.

"Jeez! Can't you be serious at least once?" - Ed shook his head.

TOOOOOOOOOOT! Another whistle from the train, shorter but louder.

"Welp, can't help it! I have ta go catch the train."

Maes climbed into the empty train as it slowly prepared to take off.

"Where are you going? On a mission or something?" (Ed)

"Don't really know. Somewhere far away. I guess I'll see once I get there!" - he smiled a bitter-sweet smile his way.

Something REALLY wasn't right and Ed knew it. With a final whistle, the train started to slowly move away.

"Wait! Something isn't right! Come here Hughes! Maes!" - he shouted but Maes just stood there, on the steps of the train, not really in but not really out.

"I can't. I want to but can't sorry..." - he looked at Ed caringly, fatherly emotions swirling in his chest.

He really didn't want to go, but HAD to! There was no other choice!

The train sped up. Ed tried to chase it but his body felt like lead.

"ED!" Maes shouted as the distance between them became bigger and bigger "When you see Gracia and Elicia, tell them I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer with them! And that I love them MORE THAN ANYTHING!"

"No! Wait, you can still come back. Tell them that yourself!" - Ed shouted as he ran but was unable to catch up.

"Please..." Hughes looked at him one last time "...take care of them..." - he finally entered the train.

"Nooo!"

"...d! Ed! Wake up!" - Winry pushed him.

"HUH?! Where-?" - he woke up confused.

"We're arriving in Central, get ready." - she said.

"Fiiiine...I'm up."

'A strange dream, huh...' - Ed thought as he yawned.

...

Ed took a right turn and met with a dead end alley. It was small, dark and squeezed between the buildings. Ed leaned on the wall, breathing uneven and hair messy. He slowly slid down until he was sitting on the slightly damp pavement.

"Nii-san! Why did you run away?!" - Al finally clanged into the alley, blocking most of the already small and tight alley.

Al would have frowned for real if he had a human face. He saw Ed slumped, shaking and crying, holding the sides of his head with his hands.

"He died...Al, he died and it was true!" - Ed said while hiccupping.

"What happened? What was true?"

"On...on the way back...I saw him, I saw Hughes!" - he cried out.

Ed looked at his brother's face with tear-stained face.

"W-what do you mean nii-san?"

He then proceeded to tell Al what had happened on the train.

"...What if this was some sort of premonition? With me not being human and all..." - Ed didn't dare to look in his brother's eyes.

"NO! Nii-san is nii-san and nothing can EVER change that! You are the best and always care for me, Winry, Pinako-baa and everyone else!" Al grabbed Ed by the shoulders and made him look in his face "You are more human than even some people. I know you would risk your life to save people close to you and the reason why you cry is that you DO care...please never forget that nii-san. We also care about you, so don't try to do everything on your own."

The two brothers stayed there for a while more and then decided it was finally the time to leave the alley.

 **(AN: I screwed myself over. I really like the previous part and no matter how I tried, I just couldn't fit the right piece after it, so accept that what happened after was the same as in the anime. Sorry for the inconvenience!)**


	4. Chapter 4

===The Ross disaster===

Ed just stood there and looked at the scene in horror. He saw the flash of light, heard the snap and explosion. Roy had killed Ross and her charred corpse now laid in front of Ed. Ed was shaking, cold sweat running down his back, breathing uneven. He was beyond terrified but not because of the corpse. The main reason he was scared was because when he looked at what was left of lieutenant Ross, he felt nothing. No sadness, no regret, nothing, it was like he was looking at a rock or something. This chilled his blood more than anything he had ever faced.

"Stop staying like a statue there, Fullmetal. It's our work." – Roy said and walked by.

'What is wrong with me?!' – Ed looked at his shaking hands.

….

At the ruins Ed stared at Ross. She was alright and living, explaining what Mustang had done to make it look as if she was dead. He closed his mouth and squeezed his automail with his other hand, ignoring the feeling of his palm cooking on the hot metal.

"So everything was a ruse?"

"Yes, they were set on executing me for something I had not done. They did everything they could to get me out the legal way, but it didn't work, so this is what Colonel Mustang came up as plan B." – Ross said, feeling bad about deceiving someone like Ed.

"Do you know how DAMN SCARED I was?!" – Ed shouted at his companions.

Fu stood on the side, watching like always, Ross, Bread and Armstrong were looking quite guilty.

"W-we couldn't do anything else, and your reaction made the fake death even more believable. Please forgive us for deceiving you!" – Armstrong said, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Yeah! They were SO set on executing Ross! It's was like it was their mission to do so. Even we don't know how such a thing could happen." – Breda added.

"Oh, please! As if this isn't the first time the Furer has pulled crap like that." – Ed grumbled.

"What do you mean?" – Ross asked, a bit intrigued.

"Ah?! You haven't heard? When we were in Dublith, Al got kidnapped by some thugs but then the Furer swooped in and slaughtered everyone. The bastard even stabbed a person hiding in Al's armor! Good way to traumatize a child! One-eyed whacko..." – Ed stood still, eyes widening slowly with realization.

Everyone was baffled and shocked by their leader's actions. Before any of them could ask more, Ed suddenly shouted.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH! How dumb can I be?! The answer was SO obvious!"

"Wha- "– Bread began but was interrupted by Ed.

He started to mutter to himself and walk around. Everyone stared at the short alchemist.

"I think the Furer might be involved in Hughes' murder." Ed declared "The boss of the bar Al was held in was, let's say _not_ _human_ , the Furer offed him because the boss – Greed, had something to do with the Philosopher's stone. The way Ross was so quickly framed with murder, the death of an employee in Central can't be dismissed like the death of a whole bar of thugs and 'dead people' , so they needed someone to blame. Ross was the target for some reason and there was witness, which is concerning…" – Ed rattled on.

'Does that mean one of the othe- one of THE homunculi has some sort of hypnotic power or a transformation power? I honestly don't know which is scarier…' – Ed thought to himself, not daring to share such information to more people than needed, for now at least.

…

Soon Ross, Fu and the other people waiting to cross the desert departed. Armstrong, Breda and Ed decided to take a break in the Xerxes ruins until nightfall and leave for Resembool. While the two older men decided to stay and make something to eat, other than rations, Ed decided to explore. He walked around admiring the structures, some made entirely be alchemy based on their looks. He circled around a huge wall. He was just wandering with o purpose at this point, so he decided to rest in the shadow this wall provided. He sat down and leaned back. The very moment the back of his neck made contact with it, he not only felt but saw the blue sparks of alchemy. These, however had small bits of red mixed in them.

'A trap!' – he panicked and jumped away from the wall.

" **Can'- esc-pe! This iis your dest-ny! ..."**

Ed heard a voice, a distant echo…no, a very foggy memory. Electric sparks still danced on his skin as he looked at his hands. He had taken his coat off before sitting down, so his tank top didn't hide much.

'What is… _this_?' – the boy was shocked.

If you were to look at him right now, he was surrounded by electricity, red bands extended from the back of his neck to every limb of his body. The lines finished at the back of his hand and the top of his foot, the metal limbs didn't have them, the end looked like an arrowhead and at each joint of his limbs was a circle (kinda like O========O=====+=. I can't explain it very well). On his face are 3 red stripes, no arrows, on each of his cheeks and another circle on his forehead.

Ed felt a twinge in the automail port on his shoulder and winced a bit at the sensation. Sparks dissipated and the red markings disappeared just as quickly as the appeared. He looked up at the wall and noticed a huge alchemic circle, unfortunately only half of it remained.

'What the hell was that?!' – he shivered for a reason unknown to him.

Ed slowly relaxed and composed himself. He warily approached the wall. He touched it with the tips of his flesh fingers and when nothing like before happened, he relaxed and touched it with a whole palm.

'Hmm… Such a big and complex, yet archaic alchemic circle. By the looks of it, if it was whole it could very well be used for complex alchemy, like human transmutation- '– he shivered again and his unoccupied metal hand shot up to his forehead.

Ed grit his teeth and leaned a bit on the wall for support. His legs felt a bit weak and his vision was blurry.

"D-Damn!"

Flashes, fragments of events that had passed long ago. Running, being afraid. A dirty, dark basement, cruel voice, the pain and the circle… **he** was in the middle!

He was confused and disoriented, so he didn't notice the person sneaking behind him. A figure jumped at Ed and tackled him to the sandy ground. This snapped Ed out of the 'mood' and he counterattacked. He kicked the figure back with a LOT more force than intended or even expected of his size. The attacker rolled down a small hill and coughed violently, on the verge of retching. Ed was a bit surprised but also worried for the person. Ed himself remembered how one of the homunculi sent him flying like a ragdoll, so he jogged down to see how the person was. As he did so, the hood lowered to reveal tanned skin and white hair.

'Scar! No, the hair and face is too different. Another Ishvalan? What is he doing here?'

Someone suddenly blindsided him and punched him in the face, HARD.

"You damn Amestrian devil! How dare you attack us?! Haven't you done enough to satisfy yourselves?" – a deep voice sounded, it was a man in his 40s with a moustache and a beard, big and muscular.

Ed stumbled but managed not to fall. The pain of his jaw, a split lip, and the slight twinge still remaining in his automail port annoyed him.

'I'll have Pinkao baa-san look at it if it doesn't stop.' – he thought as he glared daggers at the man.

He then noticed where he was standing. The ruins and the small hill had hidden the place well but now he could see he was standing in some sort of garden, old and full of withered plants but a garden still, all over it were tents and a few fires where food was cooking. Women and children looked at him with shock and fear. Soon more heads peeked out of the tents and men started to gather, some had sticks, planks or the occasional farm tool in hand. Ed wanted to be civil but he was just too pissed off to care right at that moment.

"EXCUSE ME!? **I** attacked him? That bastard jumped on me and assaulted me with no fucking reason! And I'm the guilty one? HA! Fat chance old man!" – Ed stood up to his full height, which reached around the man's chest but his aura changed.

The man stepped back a bit, intimidated by the shorter boy and the fact made him mad.

"Leave us alone!" – someone threw a stone but Ed moved out of the way.

"Haven't we suffered enough?!"

"Yeah!"

"Ishvala will punish you sinners!"

"Monsters!"

"Servants of the devil!"

Ed felt as if needles were poking at him from all directions as the armed men approached. He could easily dispose of them with a clap of his hands but didn't want to really fight and cause more trouble to these people.

"SHUT UP! I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for that bastard assaulting me!" – he pointed at his attacker.

The young adult, had risen to his feet and was still clutching the spot Ed had kicked. Ed on the other had grimaced a bit. His split lip was taking its sweet time to heal, unlike his stomach injury, but was also grateful it hadn't instantly healed. In that case it was almost certain that he'd have been attacked by now. That didn't mean that he enjoyed the taste of his own blood in his mouth.

"You bastard! How dare you-!" – another bald man began.

"Everyone! Please stop!" – the voice of an old woman sounded over the crowd.

"Mistress Shan is coming! Make way!"

The mob of angry men parted to make way for an old woman with an eyepatch on her left eye and a younger boy helping her.

"What's going on here?" – she asks, her tone calm but wary as she looks at Ed.

He realizes she's something like a leader, so he also calms down and the intimidating aura around him melts away like it was nothing. Everyone else breathes out in relief.

"Mistress Shan, he- "– the bearded man begins.

"Hey! This guy there attacked me with no reason! I was just resting and having some internal revelations when he assaulted me!" Ed interrupts and points at the boy "I just defended myself but used a bit too much force, so I mas goin' to see if he was fine when this haired dude punched me!" – Ed can't take in anymore and spits some of the blood in his mouth aside and it lands near one of the withered trees.

"Is that true?" – she looks at the hurt attacker.

"Y-yes…" – he manages to wheeze out.

"Then, this young man is not at fault! Put down your weapons!" – she commands.

Most men do so but a few don't.

"W-we can't accept this! These devils slaughtered us!" – one shouts.

"Yeah! They should pay!"

"Stop!" she raised her hand "Tell me. Why did you attack this man? Did he do something?"

"N=no…cough… he was just standing there. But! Because of them, my family died! And my sister is now crippled! When I saw him I… I did it! Those Amestrian monsters have to pay!" – he shouted and started coughing again.

"I've heard enough. Someone help him go to the tents and check him for serious injuries." – she ordered and two men immediately did so.

'Thank goodness I left my watch and coat there!' – Ed sweat drops.

"I'm very sorry for what he did." – she bows to him slightly.

"Mistress Shan! You don't need to bow to him! Their race did nothing but evil-" – one ban from the crowd begins but she shuts him up.

"Is that so?! Have you all forgotten that they are also victims of this damned war? Have you forgotten how they saved your wife when she started giving birth on the battlefield? And you! Did you forget your prosthetic? Your bandaged broken arm? How they healed your infected stomach wound. How they took out the bullets out of your body? Are you so blinded by rage to forget the kindness of THOSE people?" – she pointed at people as she said this out loud.

"Umm… Who are you talking about? I'm a bit confused?" – Ed asked her, scratching his head.

"I'm talking about two kind doctors, a husband and a wife that helped us, including me, during the war." – she touched her eyepatch.

"A husband and a wife? Wait! Don't tell me you are talking about the Rockbells."

"You know them?!" – she confirms Ed's suspicion.

"Yes! We were neighbors and I practically lived in their home. You talked like you also know them."

"Yes, they saved not only my life but those of other refugees. They were nice people." – she touched her eyepatch.

"D-Do you know what happened. They only told us they were dead. What happened to them exactly?"

She looked at him and sighed.

…(You know what happens.)….

"Please forgive us!" – Shan bows to him and a few other people also do so, most, however keep staring at him.

"Aaah! Stop this! You have nothing to apologize for." – he waves her off.

"B-But…"

"I don't have problems with YOU. You've had enough. I have problem with that Scar bastard and next time I see him…" Ed's malicious aura came like a train at full speed and made everyone nervous "…I'll make him apologize to Winry! I'll drag him by force if I have to! Then, I'll beat him up!" – he returned to normal.

"Thank you." – she meant it.

"No need to thank me. We're even."

"Young Edward!" Armstrong's voice boomed "Where are you? Are you fine?"

The Ishvalans tensed at the voice. Ed felt their discomfort and headed up the hill.

"I'm here! Just looking around. There's nothing much to see though. Just rocks and sand!" – he looks back at them and grins.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, let's go out of here and return to Resembool!"

"But we were just about to cook." – Breda protested.

Ed picked up his things and led the two away from the Ishvalan camp.

"Good think you haven't then! The sooner we get my 'repairs' done, the better it is for us."

They agreed, gathered their luggage and left the ruins. From the corner of his eye Ed saw Shan's and some other people's figures looking at them.

….

They were all glad the blonde boy had kept his word and didn't do anything to them. That night they were gathered around a big fire, telling stories to the children when suddenly one child that had been running around spilled a whole jug of water on the ground. They were about to scold him when suddenly the place sparked with red lightning and suddenly the withered tree grew and sprouted new leaves, it even bore some fruit. Even the ground around it had grass growing on it.

"A miracle! It's a miracle!"

Shan on the other hand stayed back as everyone cheered.

'Why did only that tree return back to life… Wait. Wasn't that where the blond kit spat earlier today?'

===Plans go south… and other places===

"Hahaha! I can't wait to chop up my body! Here I come!" – Barry charged into lab 3, his butcher knife waving in the air.

"Damn it!" – Roy cursed.

"What should we do?" – Jean asked Roy.

"We go in, There's no turning back now! Hawkeye, you are in the middle and provide long-range cover for us both, I'll go first! Follow me!"

They entered the lab and followed Barry's tracks. It was quiet, a bit too quiet. They continued to follow the destruction and found themselves in a darkened hallway. It split in two, one to the right and one that led down.

"What should we do now?" – Jean asked Roy.

"I'm not sure. It's risky enough to be here with no backup. It's only us and that bastard Barry, wherever he is." – Roy grumbled, gloves ready to snap.

Jean noticed something moving in the shadows of the right tunnel.

"I think there's someone there. I'll go and check." – he said and was about to go until Roy yanked him back.

"Are you an idiot?! We don't know who or WHAT may be out there! We better stay together, that way we have a better chance to go out of here alive. Got it?!" – Roy said harshly and let go.

"Yes, sir…" – Jean sighed and followed Roy and Riza down the stairs.

In the shadows an incredibly beautiful woman smirks.

…..

They were in a huge room with giant stone doorway in front of them. Barry stands in front of his injured body.

"Barry the chopper?! What are you doing?" – Roy asks.

"Oh? Hi there!" he waves at him " he waves at them "I was just about to chop my body up. Want to watch?"

"Nope!" (Jean)

"Heck no!" (Roy)

"No thanks." (Riza)

"Such a shame." – he sighs.

"What is this place?" Riza asks "Such huge doorway must lead somewhere."

"I say we check it out." – Roy is about to march towards it but stops and turns around.

"What is it Colonel?" – Riza looks at him, gun ready to shoot.

"Nah, it's just that usually at this point someone pad or something dangerous comes, so I turned around out of habit." – he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Clangclangclank!

The sound of metal came from the corridor they came from.

"Something's coming! Get ready."

Riza and Jean aim their guns while Roy prepares to snap. They tensed as the sound got closer.

"Barry!" – Al burst through the door with something that looked like a mix of a toad and a small dog trying to bite his leg.

"Alphonse?!"

"Eh?! You are also here?!" – Al stared at them as the chimera choked on his armor.

"Well… we followed Barry here. More importantly!" Roy pointed at Al "What are YOU doing here? Where did you even go after you were sent flying by that Homunculus?"

"Oh…You see, I crashed into a building and lost you, so I followed the sound of destruction and came here. I didn't know where exactly you were, so I checked both ways and found you here!" – he replied cheerfully.

"And what the heck is that thing?" – Jean points at the chimera.

"Ah! On the right corridor were a bunch of chimeras, so I used alchemy to capture them. Guess this one managed to get between the bars. I totally didn't notice! Hehe~" – Al was embarrassed.

"OK! Let's get it off of you and be done with this." (Jean)

"Wait! Prove us you are indeed Alphonse Elric! You may just be a Homunculus in disguise." – Riza pointed a gun.

"OK." Al yanked the chimera off and used alchemy to make a cage for it "Is this enough?" – he pointed at his work.

"Not nearly enough! You may just be a homunculus that can do alchemy without a circle!" – she shouted back and the others nodded.

At this moment Al was actually glad he was a suit of armor because he would have cringed, now he only did it internally. Because they WERE right! Ed was technically a Homunculus and he indeed DID alchemy with just a clap of his hands.

'If we tell them about this, it'll be super awkward…' Al thought, he then took his helmet off and showed them the blood seal "Is this enough?" – he asked them.

"Yes, it is. Sorry for that." (Riza)

"No problem! It's understandable after what we saw at Dublith-Oh, no." – Al clamped both hands on his nonexistent mouth but the damage was already done.

Roy and Riza both shot him 'We'll talk later!' looks and Jean was confused. Barry stood to the side, almost forgotten.

"Now, let's see what's behind this door." (Jean)

"Oh, I won't allow you to do so. You aren't allowed to go there, yet…" – an alluring voice said from the darkness.

"Who-?" – Riza was interrupted as something shot from there and broke a few pipes.

Steam and water filled the room for a moment, but the damage was done and Roy's gloves were useless. The steam also made it harder to see.

"This voice, the slight scent I noticed before…No, it can't be- GUAAH!" – Jean was stabbed by a long, dark spear, thankfully it only pierced his side and didn't damage the spine or chest area.

He fell to the floor, bleeding and clutching his wound as the spear went back in the mist.

"S-Solaris…" – Jean groaned.

"Havoc! Hang in there!" – Roy rushed to his side.

"Haha! Look at you humans, so fragile." – they could finally see Lust's silhouette.

The steam had started to condense and it was useless for her to try and hide, so she came out.

"AH! It's you! Lust, right?!" – Barry waved his cleaver.

"You were still alive, huh?" – she looked at him with distaste.

"Yeah! And I've decided to chop you up!"

Barry jumped at her but she sliced him to pieces in an instant.

"Alphonse! Make a wall!" – Roy commanded.

"But sir-" – Riza was about to protest that a wall would limit their field of vision but the look in Roy's eyes made her stop.

Roy had a plan, so Al listened to him and made a half-circle wall around them. Riza covered him with fire as Al rushed out with a spear. Lust smirked and made 3 of her fingers extend. They zig-zagged and pierced Al's shoulder and he almost dropped the spear. He tried to slice them but it didn't happen. Lust wasn't seriously planning to kill him, so she pulled back her claws and used them to slice Al's weapon to pieces.

"Damn it!" – Riza shouted as she emptied a whole mag of bullets in Lust but it didn't even faze her.

"It's useless! I can always regenerate! I am immortal."

"That's impossible!" – Riza shouted.

"Oh, dear, everything is possible with a Philosopher's stone." – Lust purred.

"No, she is right. No one is immortal! Having a stone means that I have to kill you until you are gone!" – Roy said as he suddenly jumped out of the cover.

He was behind Lust, holding Jean's lighter open. He lit it and a ball of flames exploded, burning Lust as she screamed. She started to regenerate but he set her aflame again and again. This process repeated until she crumbled to dust and was truly gone.

"Good job Colonnel!" – Riza congratulated.

He had used the wall as a cover and waited for the right moment while Riza and Al were distracting Lust.

"Let's get out of here! The door can wait and although I've cauterized Jean's injury, he's still in danger. Moreover, it's too risky to split right now."

So they lifted Jean carefully and carried him towards the hospital.

"What will we say if someone asks questions?" – Al asks nervously.

"Why, we tell them the truth. He was assaulted by his crazy girlfriend and was stabbed. We couldn't capture her, so I cauterized the wound and we carried him to the hospital." – Roy says with a smirk.

None of it was a lie, so it was believable. Barry's body dragged itself towards the remains of the armor, wiping off the blood seal and dying once and for all.

===The cat is out of the bag===

Ed had just returned from Resembool when his brother came barreling down the hallway towards him.

"Niiii-saaaaaan!" – Al shouted and cried nonexistent tears.

"Al! Why are you running? Did something happen?!" – Ed was worried.

"Yes! Something happened. Come with me!" – Al grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

A few staff members stared as Al and Ed zoomed by them, Ed on the other hand felt like a flag in a windy weather. Al rounded a corner, opened a door and hid himself and his brother in a broom closet.

"What the heck AL?!"

"They saw them, nii-san!"

"Who saw who?!" – Ed got confused.

"The colonel and Riza saw the Homunculi! Havoc too but he's in hospital now, so…"

"What?! Tell me what exactly happened!" – Ed grabbed Al's shoulders and looked him in the face.

"OK. So, Barry agreed to help us…" – he started to narrate the events.

….

"So, you met 3 more Homunculi and they attacked you? Wonder how many of them are there?"

"I wonder so too! We know there was Greed, Gluttony, Lust, that died and Envy. Ah, there's also their creator! Remember how I talked to Martel when I was trying to find out more about Greed?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"She mentioned that Greed would complain about a 'stupid old man' and cuss him, so I guess he must BE their creator!"

"Hmm…Got it! But this presents us with more questions and another problem." – Ed said with a thoughtful look.

"By what we've heard until now, every Homunculus this person had made is named after a sin, so maybe the others are too!"

"Oh, great! This means there may be at LEAST 3 more we haven't seen." – Ed grumbled.

"Hey! At least something good happened! Maybe 2 good things, I'm not sure about the second but-"

"Just say it Al! Someone is bound to come looking for one of these sooner or later." – he points his thumb towards the brooms.

"Well, one of them is dead, so we now know they aren't completely immortal, so there's a way to get rid of them. The second is something more of a hypothesis. After we discovered that, you know- "he gestures at his older brother "I was wondering if maybe the same guy that made Greed also was involved but now, after knowing there are more Homunculi, I don't think it would have been possible for you to _escape._ " – he whispered the last part.

"You may be right. I also doubt it would have been possible. To be honest, I had a flashback and remembered a bit of that time."

"Really?!"

"Yes. I was in some dirty basement and the bastard was drunk while trying to transmute me or something. I'm a bit scared actually. I just realized how lucky I was because I might have ended up as an ingredient for a Philosopher's stone. AL! D-Do you think that I may also have a stone inside of me? If that's true, then where did the souls come from? What if-"

"Nii-san, calm down. What's happened, happened. You are MY big brother and nothing changes it."

Ed wanted to open his mouth and say something but Al stopped him.

"Don't even think about trying to transmute me using the stone we are not even SURE you have. You might not even be the same type of Homunculus or even a true one. I saw them re-grow limbs in an instant and you are still missing an arm and a leg! As far as we know you may also die if your head gets cut off, just like a normal person's, so don't try something stupid." Al's armor rattled as he hiccupped "I don't want to lose you!"

"Al…"

"N-now! Let's go out of here! I think we stayed here long enough. Haha!" – Al tried to be cheerful and ease the mood.

"Yeah, you're right. Time to face the bastard." – he smirked and shuffled out of the cramped space.

Ed dusted himself and headed for Roy's office. Ed acted like his usual carefree self and Al followed him, nervous on the inside but his metal body not showing it. Ed could feel it with his "Big bro sense" and shot him a reassuring look that everything will turn out fine. On the way there they passed a blonde soldier with short hair, green eyes and he was around 170 cm. He was hurrying to somewhere and bumped against his right hand.

"Sorry." – Ed said out of habit and the soldier just grumbled and left.

Suddenly Ed felt a chill. The world slowed down and darkened. The lights appeared again. His brother's armor had a warm, happy and caring glow in one spot he knew the blood seal was. The trees outside glowed soft, lively green, the whole building had these strange glowing lines that connected it to the ground. He then focused on something, there were red lights in the hall. They were red, sticky, goop-like and made him feel sick and disgusted. They slowly dragged themselves in the opposite direction than the one he was going in. They seemed to latch onto things, stick for a while and then would peel away in their goo-like manned.

" _Help! Please, help!"_

Multiple voices wailed and begged.

'NO! Nonono! Stop, stop- STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!'

Everything returned back to normal and started to move at normal speed. Ed stumbled, a shudder shaking his body. He fell on his knees and almost slumped on the hard floor.

"Nii-san! What happened?!" – Al helped Ed get up.

"It was those lights again! Damn! What the heck are they?" – Ed gritted his teeth.

"Do you need some time to rest?"

"Yes, just a sec. We'll then go and talk to Mustang."

….

Riza was keeping a watchful eye on Roy as he filled paperwork. There was a knock on the door.

"Yes, enter.' (Roy)

Ed and Al entered the office.

"Ah, Fullmetal. I see you are back from your repair. You have to be more careful."

"I am. It's just some bastards that can't seem to leave me alone that cause trouble and break my stuff always get in ly way."

Lightning passed between them.

"What business do you have here?" (Riza)

"I came to report that I'm back." – he said, looking to the side.

"Good you came. I had something to ask you either way. You said you wanted to talk to us about something. I say we set a time and place." – Roy smirked and crossed his arms on the desk.

Ed and Al shared a look and nodded.

"OK. We'll meet at Louise street, in front of Nightshade bar, tonight at 8:30. We'll lead you from there. Also, don't forget what we'll be checking before we lead you."

"Agreed." (Roy)

"Oh, and only you! No one else can come!"

Ed and Al left

=Time skip=

Roy and Riza had lost the count of turns and twists they did as the boys led them to the 'safehouse'. They had all proved that they are the real ones and were on their way. They take another turn and stop.

"We're here!" – Ed declares.

Roy and Riza blink as they can't believe their eyes. They are in front of an old abandoned shack in the outer parts of Central. Al removed the boards on the door and they entered, Al closing behind them. With a clap they were lowered into an underground bunker. It was one of the old bunkers they'd used in the war but this one was clean and well-kept.

"We cleaned the place a bit before you came. Please, sit down and we'll talk."

"OK, Fullmetal. Now, we did some digging after the revelation from last time. We discovered some pretty interesting things involving the Philosopher's stone."

"He's inside the Homunculi, we know. We also know they have a creator and thet they have special power each." – El flopped down in a couch.

"They are also named after the 7 deadly sins, so we think there might be at least 3 more we haven't seen, yet." – Al added.

Roy and Riza cringed at the possibility.

"After discussing it with Al, we decided to tell you a secret that not even Winry and granny Pinako don't know. In fact, we discovered the truth only recently, after meeting Greed in Dublith actually. I don't know what the Furer was trying to cover exactly but I bet he works for or with the one that created the Homunculi, no, the one that created the _other_ Homunculi." – Ed said gravely, he even grimaced at the end, like saying this hurt him.

" _Other_ Homunculi? What do you mean?" – Riza tensed.

"Yes, what do you mean by that Fullmetal? Do you mean to tell me there are other?" – Roy's eyes narrowed.

Ed took a deep breath and exhaled. He flexed his hands and looked at the floor.

"Probably it isn't written anywhere because it was resolved quickly, but I was kidnapped when I was younger, while mom was still alive actually."

Roy and Riza stared at him, not believing such a thing had happened.

"Yeah. I don't remember much, I remember almost nothing of the time but I was back to Winry's house the next morning, less than 24 hours since I went missing. We thought it was some slave trader but it wasn't. He left a mark on me and we though he had marked me as stock but we were VERY wrong. It was nothing like that!" – he shook and Al patted his back.

"What mark?" (Roy)

"I'll show you but I ask you to not freak out, OK? Do you promise?" – Ed asks them both.

"I promise you. I will not freak out. I've probably seen worse." (Roy)

"Yes, I promise." (Riza)

"Almost no one has seen it because of where it is and I had even forgotten about it, until recently…" he took off his coat and put a hand on his braid "Here I go." – he breathed out, moved his hair up and turned his back to them.

Roy and Riza both froze, they even stopped breathing, as they stared at the Ouroboros tattoo on Ed's neck. Something they had gotten pretty close to while fighting the Homunculi.

"Haha…" a hollow laugh came out of Ed and they tensed "Turn out I may be a Homunculus." – he doesn't dare to meet their eyes, even after he'd let go of his hair.


	5. Chapter 5

===Mistakes of the past===

Ed was currently walking through Central and showing off. Doing tricks, helping citizens with small and big things, hoping to attract Scar and capture him, removing one of the threats out of the equation. Al was advertising him and his services. Ed couldn't help but chuckle when his brother tried to be cute in a giant suit of armor by spinning around with 2 fans.

"Al, get ready." – Ed whispered as he felt chills.

And soon even his younger brother could see a familiar coat approaching them.

…

Winry was angry and was currently stomping through Central, following the trail her 2 friends had left.

'Geez! Ed is dragged away, no one tells me what's happening and I had to postpone my trip back to Rush Valley! Now he disappears again with Al and doesn't even tell me what's going on. UGH! He's impossible!'

"Kyaaaa! Murderer!" – a woman shouts and runs past her.

"Run away! Alchemists are fighting!"

"Where's the army when you need it?!"

Winry knew it's wrong to run towards danger without anything to protect yourself with, but she did it either way. She rounded a corner and saw a wall. She could tell it was made with alchemy by its looks and how awkwardly popped out of the ground.

"AL! Watch out!" – Ed shouted from beyond the wall.

'Ed?! Al?!' she was surprised for a moment 'I have to get to them!' – was the next thought she got.

She looked around but didn't find gap large enough to go through. She was thinking about climbing over it when a hole was blown through it. Winry closed her eyes and protected herself from the flying dervish by crouching and crossing her arms in front of her.

Clack! Clatter~!

Winry looked towards her left and saw that a gun had landed beside her. Through the clearing dust she saw something terrifying. Ed was in the air and Scar was about to slam his right hand in Ed's chest. She gasps but a small pole emerges from the ground and hits Scar. Ed lands and Al joins him.

"You bastard! Why did you kill them?!" – Ed shouts.

"Who are you talking about?" – Scar looks unfazed.

"Urey and Sara Rockbell! Who else? They saved your life back in Ishval and you killed them!"

Scar's face became grim at those names and Winry gasped loudly. They finally noticed her. Scar's eyes widened a bit and the two brothers looked shocked/scared.

"W-Winry…" (Ed)

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the man. Red eyes met hers.

"Is it true?" – she asked in a small voice.

No one moved and no one dared to make a sound. In a bout of sadness and blind fury because she didn't receive an answer, Winry quickly snatched the fallen gun and pointed in at the Ishvalan. Tears made her eyes cloudy but she didn't care.

"DID YOU KILL MY PARENTS?! Tell me!" – she screamed at him.

"…Yes…"

"No, don't do it!" – Al shouted.

"Stop it Winry! Run away!" – Ed joined.

Winry didn't drop the gun and continued to glare at the criminal.

"Do it, girl. I admit that your parents died by my hand and that they saved me. So, let me tell you…" Scar turned towards her "…that the moment you shoot at me, you'll also be my enemy and I'll have to kill you. The cycle of hatred won't stop until one side is destroyed, so I give you the choice- go away and live or interfere and die."

"Leave, Winry! You'll get hurt-"

"Shut up!" she shouted at Ed and that surprised the boys "I don't CARE what **you** give me, you murderer!" she glared at Scar "You took my parent and I won't allow you to take anyone else from MY FAMILY away!"

The 3 were shocked by the trembling blonde's words. She was trembling and her cheeks hat tears streaming down them but she stayed there.

"Leave! LEAVE!" she shouted at the killer "Leave us ALONE or I'll shoot you! I won't allow you to hurt Ed and Al anymore!"

'She's gone mad!' – Al thought.

"Then do it. Shoot and let's see if you can even scratch me."

Scar ran towards her.

"NO! Winry!"

In that moment many things happened but for Winry looked as if everything was moving slowly.

Ed clapped his hands and was about to use alchemy and Scar was getting closer. She was numb but felt her hands clench and she actually **pulled** the trigger. The gun shot but Scar didn't try to dodge. He was too sure the girl won't be able to hit him.

Just then, by some miracle, the bullet flew through the air and actually hit him in the left leg. He staggered and grunted from the pain. This gave Ed enough time and a dome of rock covered Scar.

"Let's go!" – Al scooped her in his arms and ran towards Ed.

"No! He's hurt. Now may be our only chance to catch him!" – Ed protested.

Just then Scar blew a hole in the dome and ran out of it. He was limping and there was a bloodstained cloth wrapped around his wound. He retreated and an irritated Ed ran after him.

…..

Scar was running through an alley when he reached the old parts of Central.

"Stop!"

He turned back and saw Ed chasing him. The streets were old and pieces of pavement were missing. Scar tripped and landed in the middle of the street in front of him.

"There's nowhere to run! I will capture you!" – Ed declared as he approached the man.

Scar grunted and prepared himself to fight injured but just then…a knife was thrown at Ed.

"Don't you dare hurt Mr. Scar anymore!" – Mei appeared out of nowhere.

"Grr! Don't get in the way! This guy is a criminal, a murderer! I will capture him and put him in prison." – Ed pointed with his hand.

Mei pouted and pulled a few more knives.

"Liar! Mr. Scar is not really bad. Leave or I will fight you!"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Mei Chang, princess of Xing."

'Great, another royalty!' – Ed didn't back away.

Mei, seeing that the blonde won't give up, she threw five knives and made a star on the pavement. Alchemic sparks lit the spot and the pavement exploded in a cloud of dust. Ed was blinded but managed to spot them getting away.

"Grr! Damn it! WAAAAAAAIT!" – he ran after them at full speed.

Mei noticed the boy was getting closer by his chi. He looked like a normal boy but he scared her a bit. He radiated raw power she had not seen in a human before. She even wondered for a moment if the boy was actually a spirit or a minor deity but dismissed the idea when he mentioned imprisoning Scar. Supernatural beings didn't serve the human law, so he was also human.

'I have to get Mr. Scar away, so I can heal his leg.'

She pulled out one throwing knife and sent it flying. Ed couldn't dodge and it hit him in the side of his stomach area.

"Gah! Damn it!" – Ed collapsed.

By the time he rose up again, the two were gone.

'I have to get to hospital or some doctor at least…'

Clatter! – the knife suddenly fell to the ground.

'What the…'

Ed was shocked. He knew that he shouldn't pull the knife out, so why did it fall? He lifted his shirt and looked at the place he was stabbed. The pierced flesh was rapidly healing and closing as red sparks danced across his skin.

"Haha…I guess I'm a monster after all…" – he said, voice dripping with emotion.

…

"Nii-san! How could you run off like that?! What were you thinking?!" – Al scolded him as soon as he arrived.

"I'm sorry, Al. He escaped. He had help. Some princess Mei from Xing."

"Really? Why would she help him?"

"I don't know. She even stabbed me and…" Ed froze "I wasn't supposed to say this."

"You were stabbed?! Where?" – Al shook him like a ragdoll.

Ed lifted his shirt to reveal perfectly smooth skin.

"It healed." – he stated and moved past his shocked brother.

Meanwhile…Winry was sitting on a bench, a thin blanket over her shoulders. She was looking at the floor and shivering.

'I shot him…I SHOT him! I shot a man, with a gun…how could I do such a thing? ...'

…

"Fullmetal!" Roy was mad and marched to Ed with a scowl "How could you do something SO IRRESPONSIBLE?! You put a lot of people in risk because of your reckless-"

"Excuse me Colonel, but I have something more important to do right now." – Ed interrupted and tried to pass by him.

Roy grabbed his forearm, stopping him. Ed glanced up, a frown on his face as he looked at Mustang.

"Fullmetal…" – Roy began.

"No! I've had it with you! Winry SHOT a person, yes, a criminal, but a person! I have to be with her." he jammed his finger in Roy's chest "Ever since I told you two about _**you know what**_ , you've been different! I am giving you time but don't even think I'm clueless about your change in attitude. How you would avoid being alone, one on one, with me. Watch me closely and not allowing me to go too far from Central. I'm at fault but I thought that we can lure at least Scar out and get rid of at least one threat that can kill us! I AM the same person, you know." – Ed backed away and heads for where Winry was.

=Time skip=

Ed had left Central with Winry. She was too upset, so she called back in Rush Valley to tell them she won't be coming back for a while. As they rode the train, Ed was contemplating his decision. He HAD to tell them- that was the conclusion he reached in the end. He was afraid what they'd do but it was better to tell them now before it blew in his face.

…..

Winry was in her room, finally asleep. She had a rough day and couldn't sleep the previous night. Ed and Pinako were alone on the first floor, drinking tea and liquor respectively.

"Sigh…What a mess happened…" – Pinako looked tired.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted for something like this to happen to Winry. I'm a terrible friend."

Pinako whacked hin on the head.

"It's your fault for being so careless!" Ed looked down, ashamed "So… make sure you are more careful next time. I don't want Winry to lose you boys too."

"I promise; I will be more careful."

They both took a sip from their cups, slowly.

"Oh, by the way, your father came back."

"What?! That bastard is here? Who gave him-"

"Settle down!" *whack* "He _was_ here. He came a few days ago, stayed for a while, visited your old home, your mom's grave and left this morning at 6. You missed him."

"Good. Because I would have smashed that bastard's face with my automail foot." – Ed growled.

"He also said something to me."

"What?"

"He told me to leave the country with Winry and you boys, if possible. It was strange. He said it would be for the better but never told me why."

"Che! It sounds like that bastard knows what's going on but won't tell, AGAIN!"

Pinako wanted to say something but Ed raised his hand.

"I will tell you everything when Winry wakes up. By everything, I mean EVERYTHING. No secrets, not when things can get really bad. She also deserves to know." – his hand unconsciously found its way to the back of his neck.

"Fine. So? What do you plan to do now?"

"I plan to have my automail checked, adjusted to be a bit sturdier, if possible and do some overdue business." – he said cryptically.

"Fine. Finish your tea and I will check your automail."

…..

Pinako had looked over his metal limbs and prepared a few plans to make them sturdier. Winry was probably going to sleep until tomorrow, so with the few hours of light remaining from this afternoon, Ed decided to visit his mom's grave and his old home. It was time to do something he'd ought to have done long ago.

He scowled at the flowers that had obviously been put there by his father. They weren't sold anywhere near.

"Hey, mom. I see father had come… Sigh… We, Al and I are doing very well. In fact, I may have a way do get his body back really soon." – a few tears fell to the ground.

Ed had unknowingly started crying. He tried to wipe the tears but they fell without a stop. Ed fell to his knees and gently laid the flowers down.

"Haha…" the laugh was hollow and forced "You know, things are getting really messy. There's Scar, he not only killed Winry's parents but also killed us on several occasions, the Furer may be some evil psycho and the Homunculi- OH, the Homunculi are these artificial humans that apparently have Philosopher stones in them and… I'm- I may not be your son at all. After that night, when I disappeared, apparently the tattoo meant that I am also a Homunculus. Al thinks I'm either incomplete or partially one but after everything, I doubt it more and more…" Ed's fist met the moist ground "Everything is SO complicated! At times I think I won't be able to hold it together. I remember everything! How we would stay in our beds and you'd read us books, how much it hurt when dad left, I remember EVERYTHING! How can I be a Homunculus? I-It's just… I can't possibly be some doll with fake memories!" Ed muttered almost soundlessly "… can I?"

He left the graveyard after a while and headed for his home. It looked even worse than the last time he saw it but it was expected. The stone wall helped him find the spot he was looking for. With a clap, he transmuted a shovel and a box. He began digging. His purpose- to find the bones of the abomination he and Al made and give it a proper burial.

After the past few month, Ed started to understand how important respect was, respect for the dead and not only the living. Even though the thing had been a result of their failed transmutation, it didn't deserve to be buried near some burned-down house.

He found the bones and started pulling them out of the muddy soil. This goes on for a while but he freezes.

"T-this isn't a woman's-!"

He quickly arranged the whole skeleton in front of him. This wasn't their mother. It was male and it meant that their sacrifice- their suffering hadn't even been for their mother.

…

Bring-Bring! – the phone in Kurtis' household rung.

"Hello." – Izumi picked it up.

[Hello, teacher…]

"What are you calling for pipsqueak? It's late already!"

[I have something to ask you.]

"What is it? Spit it out."

[You told us how you lost your organs when you tried to resurrect your chinl, right? Well… was it _really_ your child?]

Izumi looked shocked.

"…"

[Teacher?]

She closed the phone.

…..

The next morning Winry was feeling a lot better. The familiar place was doing wonders. After a nice breakfast and deciding what to do to better Ed's automail, the two women sat across Ed on the table. It was time to tell them and Ed's nerves were killing him from the inside out.

He was currently wearing the spares while his arm and leg were in the workshop.

"Ed? Are you OK? You look a bit sick." – Winry was concerned.

"N-NO! I am fine! Just a bit nervous, I guess."

"So, what did you want to tell us?" – Pinako hadn't lit her pipe yet but still held it in hand.

Ed took a deep breath and began to tell them what they had discovered in Central and about the stone, Furer and Homunculi. Winry gasped and Pinako stared without moving.

"So… the whole country is something like a huge transmutation circle?"

"Yes, that's why my dad told you to leave…probably."

"This is so messed up…"

"I know. And lastl…" the two held their breath "Remember when I disappeared for a day, right?" they nodded "Well… It turns out I was used for a transmutation- " they gasped "and it turn out I'm also, kid of a Homunculus myself. Haha…"

Ed tried to play it cool but was afraid to look at their faces. He expected shock, shouting, disbelief, fear… Instead he got a bone-crushing hug.

Winry wrapped her arms around him and Pinako also showed her support from the side.

"W-Winry…"

"I'm sorry Ed! This whole time I didn't realize that you've went through so much more things than me. I-I thought you were reckless, that you didn't care but now- You've had it SO much worse than me. I was selfish. I am sorry."

"Winry! You don't need to apologize or- "– Ed blushed.

"Just accept it. I will go and leave you two to sort things out. Just don't forget that you are not alone."

"Thank you…" – Ed whispered.

===Meanwhile in Central===

"I still don't understand why we can't kill those idiots." – Envy ranted as Bradley filled some documents in.

"We can't. Father said they are important, so no."

"Can't I at least get rid of that Havoc guy?"

"No. It would be too suspicious, not to mention that he's returned to his hometown for a while. Rehabilitation and whatnot. We don't need more people looking for us."

"Grr! Fine!" Envy transformed into a man with a military uniform "I am leaving!" – he closed the door with a bang.

Bradley just shook his head and returned to his work. In front of him was a document that made one Riza Hawkeye his personal assistant. This was going to put a leash on Mustang and his people.

…..

In a litter-filled alley was a small shelter made by planks, old cloth and other things found in the trash.

"Please! You are still in no good condition to go and fight Mr. Scar!" – Mei tried to pull the man back.

Yoki had went out a while ago, leaving Mei and Xiao Mei to look after Scar.

"Let go."

"NO! I may have helped heal you but the bullet had gone too deep to heal at once! You need to rest for at least a week!"

Scar didn't listen to her, even though his leg hurt when he put too much weight on it. He had a to go out and clear his head. The incident with Winry had shaken him quite a bit and he needed to think over what he was doing.

"Don't worry. I promise I won't go into fights. I just need some air and to think… about things."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"Huff! Fine!" she pouted and looked away "Just be careful." – she muttered the last part.

….

"Colonel Mustang! We found him!" – Breda barged in.

"Found who?"

"Scar! One guy reported seeing him in the west, near the train depot."

"Prepare! We're going to capture him!"

=Time skip=

Scar was running away from the military and didn't try to fight them. He had promised but it was getting harder to dodge as Roy Mustang also joined the chase. He, combined with Al's circle-less alchemy was very dangerous combination.

"Stop right there and surrender!" – Roy sent a ball of flame at Scar.

He dodged by rolling to the left. He escaped the fire but was now faced by a train. He was surrounded. Mustang, Al, Riza and even Ling were there.

At that moment a lot of things happened. Something black leaped in the air and crashed in the ground, also a few knives lodged themselves in a water tower, making it explode. Steam spread everywhere.

"Come on, Mr. Scar!" – Mei led him away to safety.

"MUSTAAAAAAAAAAANG!" – Gluttony roared.

Roy was confused about what to do.

"Go! We'll catch the fatty while he can't see us. You find where Scar went!" – Ling pulled his sword out.

Roy nodded because he was the one least likely to die by Scar's hand and… the fat guy was apparently looking for him.

"Be careful!"

"Mustaaang! Where are youuuuuuuu?!"

'Huh? What is a small panda doing here?' – Al picked it up and put it in his armor in order to be safer.

===Long expected meeting===

As soon as Ed got off the train, he was pulled to the side by Ling. The prince had come to get him.

"What happened?" – Ed was genuinely confused.

"We caught one of the Homunculi. We'll meet with Mustang and go to where it is kept.

"You actually caught one?! How?"

"Hehe… It's just that I am very smart."

Ed stared at him like something was wrong with his head.

"Ahem! Now, let's go and you can treat me something on the way there!" – Ling marched forward and Ed followed.

Ling had been specifically sent due to his ability to sense Chi. He may never be as good as Fu or Lan Fan but still good at it. His task was to make sure the Edward Elric was not one of the Homunculi in disguise. It was Ed alright. No one could imitate his Chi. His was as strong if not a bit stronger than that of the Homunculi but unlike theirs, his was much purer and felt more honest that most people Ling had ever met. It was a bit frightening how it saturated the space around the boy, twisting into bizarre shapes, for a moment, right when they first met, Ling even thought the blonde WAS the stone itself, just given a human form.

…..

Lan Fan laid in bed, feeling useless. Her lord had caught one of the creatures while she was laying in bed, her missing arm was something she couldn't ignore.

The phone rang and Riza picked it up. After a short conversation, she hung up.

"So, are they coming?" – Falman asked her.

"Yes, they are just leaving. Don't forget to ask about the password before letting them in."

"But I thought there was no password-"

"Exactly." – Riza made sure her gun was loaded and ready.

Lan Fan felt useless. Her lord had to go alone, just because she was hurt. Her grandfather had entrusted her with keeping Ling safe and here she is, in bed, while he's risking his life. She shifted a bit and bit her lip as pain shot up her arm. Phantom pains were some of the worst.

….

Ed got all the details from Roy. It was happening. They had a Homunculus and he was going to see for the first- well… technically second time but he didn't count the first time he met the Homunculi because he'd been sent flying and knocked out in less than a minute. Not to mention that the Homunculus had a Philosopher's stone inside. If he could figure a way to use it, he may give his brother's body back and even figure a way to become a human again!

Ed fidgeted as he tried not to look at Roy or Ling for too long. He could guess Roy was still mad due to the stunt he tried to pull off with Scar and Ling… he wasn't aware that Ed was actually a Homunculus and Ed preferred for it to stay that way. Winry and Pinako had accepted the fact that he wasn't a human and were very understanding. He thanked the heavens and every God he knew of for it but he knew that he can easily be taken for experimentation if the wrong person heard about him. He only had regeneration from what he observed and it wasn't as great as what Al told him he'd seen with Lust and Greed. There was also that weird vision he got from time to time but he had no idea how or why it happened. Compared to the Homunculi, Ed was almost human.

Although…

Ed shook his head, refusing to think about the possibility. He didn't want to admit it but... his powers seemed to develop, to grow stronger. The stab shouldn't have healed so fast but it did and the fact scared him a bit.

"Here we are." – Roy announced and they got off.

The place didn't look like much and it had obviously seen better days. Peeling paint, missing tiles, cracked or dusty windows… It was already night when they reached and a wind was blowing. Roy fixed his coat as the wind made the 3 shiver slightly.

"Ugh! I really don't like the feeling…" – Ling muttered.

Ed looked at him quizzically but then a strange feeling washed over him. It was similar to the one he felt in the hall but not exactly the same.

"What's the password?" – Riza asked, gun ready.

"Password? There's no password. Can we get in now? We have business to do." – Roy said and Riza let them in.

"Did you get what we need?" – she asked.

"Yeah. I wrote all the information I could find about the Homunculi and it's not much." – Ed took a notebook from his coat.

Riza looked at his suspiciously but schooled her expression. This, however, didn't go unnoticed by Ling.

'What happened between them? Last time she wasn't so tense.'

Ed presented the information to everyone.

"Are you sure this is all?" – Riza eyed the boy and he scowled.

"Yes, I also checked it and Fullmetal has even written down things from personal experience, so it's legit." – Roy shot her a look.

"I-it's true! When Greed captured me, he mentioned many things we thought were impossible and I even overheard things from his companions." – Al suddenly looked sad.

"Al- "

Something inside the armor rattled and suddenly Al tried to scoot away.

"What's IN there, Al? Don't tell me you brought some cat in here." – Ed's brow twitched.

"You see…" Al pulled out a miniature panda "It was lost and I planned to get it somewhere safe but so many things happened and it came with me. Hehe…"

"Ugh! What will I do with you?"

"So… You are saying both I and Lan Fan were wrong?" – Ling asked.

"About what?" – Ed asked the prince.

"When we fought with him, we all felt the same feeling we get from the fatty here. Fu would also back me up, if he was here…"

"But it's impossible! All the book I've ever read said that a Homunculus can't have a child, yet the Furer has a son! How do you explain that?" – Ed protested, trying to ignore the feeling dawning upon him.

"Yeah, and your books said it's impossible to make one and here we are facing against SEVERAL of them!"

"Actually, Selim isn't Bradley's son…" – Falman interrupted.

""WHAT?!"" – everyone exclaimed.

"Uh… Selim Bradley is adopted, it is said he was the child of family friend, so the Furer adopted him as his own son." – he was feeling nervous from all the stares.

"So, that means he has no children of his own…" (Ed)

"…and it means we were right!" (Ling)

"Yes. Now, what shall we do with the Homunculus tied in this shack?" – Roy sat down.

"I was thinking of somehow getting the stone out or using it to fix my and Al's bodies, maybe extract some information…" – Ed looked thoughtful.

Riza looked at him strangely and wanted to ask something but decided against it. This made Ling's suspicion to increase. There was something going on and he was going to learn what.

…..

He was close. Gluttony could smell him, could hear him! Mustang was here. The one that KILLED **HIS** LUST was here!

"MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG! I WILL EAT YOU!" – the Homunculus roared.

In a flash, a circular hole was made through the shack. Gluttony was free and a giant mouth had opened across his stomach, sharp teeth lining it with a creepy eye in the blackness.

He huffed in disappointment as he saw he didn't kill anyone.

As he was shuffling out of the hole, Ling and Falman had managed to load Lan Fan in one of the 2 cars. They had heard Gluttony's enraged scream and the sound of straining metal ropes, so they ran out as fast as they could.

"Mustang! You killed my Lust! You killed my Lust!" he prepared to jump "I will eat youuuu!"

"Riza! Escort Falman and Lan Fan back! We'll stay and lead him away!" – Roy pulled on his gloves.

"But sir-"

"GO! He wants me and we can't send them without a backup. Falman can't look after an injured person and fight at the same time."

Riza grit her teeth but jumped on the car as it sped away. Gluttony jumped, delivering his fist down where Mustang once stood. Roy sent a stream of flames towards the monster but they were sucked in and the sin even burped.

"Damn it! This will be harder than expected."

Al, Ed and Ling got ready to act.

"What are you doing, Gluttony?" – a dog suddenly appeared and spoke.

===Into the beast's belly (prologue)===

Despite outnumbering the Homunculi, the battle wasn't progressing the way Ed wanted. He was focused on the shapeshifter. He had met him before but he hadn't been aware in them. Ed wanted answers but currently was almost impossible. Mustang was by his side, both of them panting while Envy wasn't even sweating.

"Haha! Is that all you've got? If you weren't important sacrifices, I would've killed you long ago!" – Envy taunted with a cocky smirk.

Just then Al crashes through the wall Ed had made. Ling also follows, making sure to pull the armor out of the way as Gluttony eats away a long path in the dirt. Roy and Ed use the chance to distance themselves from Envy.

"Hey, Gluttony!" Envy calls as Gluttony steps through the hole he'd made "Oh, shit, he's lost it now." – he deadpans.

"MUSTAAANG!" – Gluttony shoots another beam.

…..

They were gone. His brother, Ling, even that other Homunculus was gone.

Roy had wisely chosen to retreat as the Homunculus had been attacking but his brother and Ling weren't so lucky. They were gone and there was no way to get them back…

'NO! I can't accept this! There has to be a way!' – Al thought and Xiao May finally felt safe enough to peek out of the armor.

Gluttony whined weakly from the side. He was curled in a ball, hands holding his head.

Al hated himself for what he was about to do but for his brother, he was willing to do anything. He braced himself, stood up and slowly approached the Homunculus.


	6. Chapter 6

===Into the beast's belly===

Water…? He was supposed to be dead!

" _ **You c—'t**_ _ **esc**_ **a-e!** __ _ **Noth-**_ _ge_ _ **ts o-t**_ __ _–f th_ _e g_ _ate_ _ **without**_ _p_ _ay—g t_ _ **He**_ _ **PRICE!"**_

Ed's eyes shot open. Darkness met him and shivers ran down his spine. What had that voice been? He felt as if he HAS to know but his head hurt, he was wet, the awful feeling from the shack enveloped his every inch… Hands, eyes… SO _MANY_ of them! He shook his head, shoving the unclear and terrifying memories back for the moment. Now wasn't the time to panic! As he calmed down, he became more aware of his surroundings. It was a dark and gloomy but not impossible to see, once his eyes adjusted. There were many pieces of rubble, broken trees and…

'Hm?' - a twinge in Ed's flesh leg made him look down, he wished he hadn't.

His legs might have been partially submerged but he could see the mangled limb. It was broken and twisted. Ed sucked a breath, the pain finally registering, and tried to squeeze his thigh in attempt to lessen the pain. He cursed a storm in his mind but then, just like with the stab wound, red sparks danced across his skin and in a few seconds the leg had twisted itself back into place and healed. Ed shuddered at the sickening sensation but swallowed and rose up on shaky legs. He stepped out of the blood and looked around, searching for anything that could help him out of this place.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOI!" he shouted as loud as he could "SOMEONE HERE?!"

No one but his echo answered. It was weird and it gave Ed the creeps. The air itself didn't feel right. He felt alone and hopeless.

SLAP! – Ed hit his cheek and shook his head.

He wasn't going to give up! He took a shaky step in a random direction, letting his instinct lead him. With each new step, he became steadier and walked in an even pace.

He wasn't aware of it, but his Ouroboros was starting to glow slightly. The light intensified and Ed halted. The world swam around him and everything was slowing down.

'OK. I've been through this…I need to calm down!'

Ed stood in one place and let his arms drop to his sides, shoulders relaxing slightly as he exhaled. He closed his eyes and breathed, a gut feeling made him cross his arms across his chest. The blonde soon entered a meditative-like state.

He could feel everything around! The blood reaching to his ankles, how it's surface rippled ever so slightly, the shift of air… even the small pieces of destroyed buildings, chipped and falling down grain by grain. Then, something not exactly material.

Ed's eyes shot open, a glowing yellow ring circling the pupil, clearly seen in the dim light of this mysterious space. The lights were back but it was VERY different from the last few times. Usually the lights would flow freely but a thick, swirling red fog filled the whole space. It engulfed everything like some sort of sludge. Ed concentrated, he could feel his control slipping and he knew he'd be out of this strange mood soon. He was at least glad he could use it this time instead of it hitting him and leaving him gasping and disoriented.

'Come on! Give me at least _something_! I would accept anything!'

As if luck had smiled upon his poor soul, Ed saw a small wisp of light. It stood out of the red with its colorful glistening. Ed smiled for some reason, feeling content, and quickly headed after the trail. He stumbled here and there, not yet used to moving with the strange vision. The glistening trail was getting clearer and easier to follow- he was getting close! Just then the vertigo hit him. In his joy, he had forgotten to concentrate on the meager hold he had on this strange 'power'.

"GUAH!" Ed fell on a stone slab, hitting his face "Damn it!"

He heard rustling of cloth and rolled to the side. Ling drop-kicked the place Ed's head was just a second ago.

"OI! Do you want to kill me or something?!" – Ed shouted at the prince.

"Ah! My bad!" Ling bowed his head "Sigh… of course it was the shorty…" – he murmured the last part to himself.

Ed's ear twitched and he exploded.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE CAN DROWN IN A DROP OF WATER?!"

===Journey with the hungry===

Al followed Gluttony, not taking his eyes off the Homunculus. Xiao Mei was riding on his shoulder- the safest place she found, despite his close proximity to the artificial human.

"And you will tell Father it isn't really my fault and I won't be punished! Father will be really angry. He wanted the golden-haired one. He said he was important. I hope Father isn't too mad and to listen…" – Gluttony chatted on.

"And when exactly are we going to reach this _Father_? I also want to save my brother."

They climbed up a tall hill and Gluttony turned around, a smile almost split his face and mad Al pause in a short moment of terror.

"See!" Gluttony pointed with his finger "We're almost there! Father is waiting!"

"T-This is…" Al's armor trembled and rattled '…Central?! Why is the creator of these Homunculi in central?!' – he was internally freaking out.

==================IBB=====================

Ling and Ed were sat around a fire they had managed to light thanks to Ed transmuting the _blood_ to dry the wood and Ling carrying flint for emergency cases.

"So! Now that we're dry… What will we eat?" – Ling asked and his stomach growled loudly.

"Is everything you think about food?!"

"Fast metabolism. Seriously though. Wherever we are, I doubt there's a lot to eat here."

Ed looked thoughtful for a moment but furiously shook his head.

"I have an Idea but…"

"What is it? I am starving here!" – Ling shouted.

"Here!" Ed took off his boot and presented it to the prince "This is made of leather and is technically edible."

"You want me to eat your dirty boot?!"

"Hey! Be glad it's the one from the metal leg, otherwise you'd have my sweat as a bonus. Just be glad I'm giving it to you." Ed snapped "Want me to not give you anything?!"

"NO! I will take it! I will take it!"

A few minutes later Ling was staring at the piling boot, throwing glances at Ed now and then.

"Aren't you also gonna eat?" – the prince looked his companion over.

"Nah. I am not hungry right now." – Ed looked away, squinting in the darkness.

Ling noticed how Ed was focused in one direction and tried to see or even sense anything amiss but there was nothing but him and Ed. As for sensing… The nasty feeling he got from the place and Ed's overwhelmingly strong energy didn't allow him to find anything, muting everything around.

'Of course his energy would give me trouble! It's practically storming around him! It's usually much more subdued and not noticeable but here…' Ling gulped as he re-focused on the boiling pot 'It's almost scaring me.'

Ling carefully took the boot out and sniffed. Yup, it smelled nasty, just the way it looked.

"So… Do I bite into it or?"

"Do what you want. It's not like I have eaten a boo- "Ed suddenly jumped on his feet "Ling! Dodge!"

A shadowy figure loomed over them and- BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"What is this thing?!" – Ed shouted.

The fire was extinguished and their pot flew somewhere in the distance. Ling had dodged the attack and threw the boot to Ed. The two stared at the gruesome, green, lizard-like creature.

"Hehe!" it laughed with a distorted voice "Look what I have found. I don't know what you were trying to do with this boot, but if I am here, I may as well kill you."

Ling and Ed immediately recognized who that was by the way of talking. It was the damned shifter- Envy!

====================JWH====================

Al followed Gluttony through the winding alleys of Central. He had no choice but to follow through the maze of twists and turns. Going back would mean losing the chance to save Ed and Ling, also, he'd lost track of where they were a few streets back, so Al was lost.

None of them were aware of the small girl following them.

"Xiao Mei, I will save you!" – Mei whispered from her hiding spot behind a wall.

….

She had been shopping with Yoki. Nothing fancy, just some bread and dried meat, then she'd caught a glimpse of Al's shining armor. She'd left the shouting man and followed to see what was going on. To her horror, Al, some humanoid monster in tow, had taken her Xiao Mei as a hostage or something even worse! She was going to track them and rescue her friend from those baddies!

She jumped and ducked behind a few crates. Mei peered and saw the monster open a secret door, entering it and disappearing with Al and her dear Xiao Mei. She took a calming breath and marched to the wall the door had been a moment ago. She pushed and it opened. She was lucky Al had entered last and didn't know how to lock it.

'I am coming Xiao Mei! Wait for me!' – she went down the dark tunnel, not caring about calling backup or anything.

….

"She did what?!" – Scar shouted at the cowering Yoki.

"S-She w-went down some secret tunnel a-and…"

"Why didn't you stop her?"

"She suddenly ran off and she was already down the tunnel by the time I reached the street! I won't go down some dark tunnel that leads who knows where!" – Yoki defended himself but not daring to raise his voice too much in front of Scar.

"Show me."

"W-what?"

"Show me where the damned tunnel is!"

===================IBB=======================

"You are insane! Who does that?!" – Ed shot an accusatory look at Envy after learning the truth about the war with Ishval.

"ME?!" Envy looked indignant "YOU were the one that jumped down my throat only to threaten me! I think you are crazier."

"Umm… As much as the sight of a giant monster arguing over insanity with a sh…" Ling saw a scowl from Ed and stopped himself "Never mind… So! How do we get out of here? I doubt we can live here."

"A way out? Didn't I already tell you? There is NO WAY OUT! We're trapped here for all eternity." Envy was angry "At least you'd die quickly while I will be stuck for MUCH longer. That's what happens when you are swallowed by Gluttony. He's a defective, artificial gate made by Father. So, basically we are somewhere and nowhere. Meaning- no one can reach us unless Gluttony swallows them."

"D-Did you say a **GATE**?!" – Ed stood up and stared Envy right in the eyes.

This unnerved the homunculus. No one but Father and his siblings had dared to look him in the face this way while in his true form. Everyone had cowered but Ed was now standing, looking at him with a determined and slightly demanding look. The homunculus swallowed and hoped the other two didn't notice it. For less than a second…Ed had given off the same feeling as Father, the similarities in their looks also helped enhance the image.

"Yeah, Father wanted to make a gate of Truth but Gluttony was not successful and is something like a counterfeit gate. Nowhere near the real deal but similar enough." – the sin sighed in the end and Ed began thinking.

Ed had a VERY bad feeling about what he was going to suggest. His experience, at least the one he remembered, with the gate of truth wasn't nice. He didn't know what had happened the first time but the black hands had shot towards him the moment the gate appeared. Thinking about it now, it was like they were specifically targeting him and not Al. Ed wanted to feel bitter about the fact that Al might have been fine but he knew now was not the time. He took a calming breath and focused on the current situation.

"I have an Idea that might work. There's a small chance we'd succeed and leave but I think it's worth it."

"How small?" – Ling asked from his sitting spot.

"Less than 10%."

"Feh! Good enough for me. I don't want to rot away in Gluttony's stomach." Envy eyed Ed "So, what's the plan?"

"OK. You said this is an artificial gate, so I thought it may be connected to the real one. All we need to do is…"

=====================JWH====================

Al was still following Gluttony closely. They were underground, in the tunnels and it was very unnerving. In the shadows, Al could see glowing, beady, inhuman eyes. Low growls and hissing noises echoed as they made their way down towards their destination. He was glad the chimeras were staying away. With this number, Al doubted he'd be able to get out safely.

Xiao Mei had hidden herself as best as she could in the crook of the armor. She didn't want to be eaten. Not now, nor ever.

….

Mei had been getting closer but then chimeras started attacking her. It was quite the shock to suddenly sense a few presences surrounding you, two of them even pounced on her from the ceiling! Thankfully she dodged them.

She batted away a chimera that was a mix of frog and something else.

'No good! I have to save Xiao Mei! Who knows what they may be doing to her.'

Then, a snake-like chimera with four legs jumped at her from the water. She spun around but slipped on a patch of slippery algae. The chimera was about to bite her when a strong, tattooed arm grabbed its face and blew it in a shower of blood and blue sparks.

"Mr. Scar!"

"YOU! Why did you come here?! Do you realize how dangerous the situation is?" – Scar was angry and the chimeras froze for the moment, afraid of the man.

"I-"

"You are coming back with me!" – he grabbed her arm and lifted her up.

"NO!" she struggled free "I am NOT going anywhere before I get Xiao Mei back! Those bad guys have taken her! One of them is even the armored guy that chased you!"

Scar halted. She had seen the animated armor, the _thing_ that shouldn't exist in this world.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! He gave off the same Chi and was with some short, bald, fat guy in black." Mei shuddered at the memory "That man wasn't human! No human can feel like that! Also, as I was getting closer, the nasty feeling I've been getting ever since I got here is getting stronger. Please, I don't want to lose Xiao Mei!" – she begged him, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Sigh… fine! We'll go and save your pet."

"Thank you!" – she hugged his arm and for a moment Scar didn't know what to do.

The chimeras growled, slowly creeping in the shadows around them. Scar stared at the abominations in front of him, blue sparks dancing around his palm.

"I will put you out of your misery." – he declared and lunged at them, followed closely by Mei.

…..

Al stared at the huge doors- the same he'd seen in the lab, fighting Lust.

"We are here! Father is waiting!" – Gluttony said almost cheerfully and pushed the doors open with monstrous strength.

Unlike the dark, damp and dirty tunnel, this room was huge, clean and there was strong light illuminating the center. Pipes were all over the room and every one of them was connected to a throne in the middle. A man sat in the throne.

"I-It can't be..." – Al gasped.

====================IBB=================

Ed, Ling and Envy stood by a huge transmutation circle. They had transported the pieces from Xerxes and Ed had filled the rest from his memory. The circle was complete, now all Ed needed to do was step in and start the transmutation. Ed just hoped it would work.

As he stepped in the circle, he felt like a zap of electricity had gone through the back of his neck. His hand instinctively shot up and clamped on the spot the Ouroboros was. Ed shot a fearful glance at Envy and Ling but they weren't looking at him. He let go, making sure his hair covered the spot, and sighed in relief.

"Get ready! As soon as the gate opens, jump in and you should probably get out."

Ling nodded with a serious expression- a rarity for the prince.

"Just hurry up!" – Envy grumbled.

CLAP! – the sound reverberated throughout the space, louder than it could possibly be.

Ed slammed his hands on the circle and blue arcs of electricity sparked, illuminating the area. Then, he registered the pain. Transmuting yourself wasn't something nice. Not only did he have to account for his automail but not screw himself up during the excruciatingly painful process.

….. **WHITE** …..

Ed blinked, feeling disoriented and confused. The white was blinding but as soon as he focused, he saw that he was sitting in front of a huge gate. Why was he there?! Where was Ling? Suddenly he senses something behind him.

"Al?"

Alphonse's body stood in front of him, looking at a similar gate, not even turning backwards to look. Ed got a strange sense of **hollow** when he looked at him. The hair was long but the skin was pale and the body looked like it had a cold and hadn't recovered yet.

"…wrong…" – a faint whisper came from dry lips.

"What?"

"You are the wrong one. I can't go with you."

"Just why?! Why-"

Something touched Ed's leg and he looked down. A small black hand had latched on his boot. Suddenly a lot more came from the white surroundings and wrapped around him. Lia a mirage, the Gate of Truth appeared. Ed was pulled by the hands towards it as its doors slowly opened, ready to swallow him. Ed grit his teeth in anger, his eyes blazing with the emotion.

"Damn it! Don't screw with MEEEEEE!" – he shouted.

His Ouroboros flared with light and red sparks came out of it, hitting a few of the hands, making them let go. It was like they were stung by the red sparks. Red marks spread across his skin in their intricate pattern but Ed didn't care. Now, this didn't matter, nor the twinge in his ports that had returned with vengeance.

He wasn't going to GIVE UP! HE WASN'T GOING TO BE **SWALLOWED!** _ **HE WASN'T GOING TO DIE YET!**_

Ed ripped himself free of the arms, his eyes glowing, red sparks crackling all over his body. Whatever the being that was in the gate tried to catch him again but as soon as the hands came in contact with Ed, they were disintegrated. It screeched and roared in pain and frustration. NO ONE had hurt it like that!

Ed ran towards his brother's body, it looking just a tad bit better than before. He grabbed it by the shoulders and pulled. It flailed and struggled out of his grip, some other force holding it in place, making it extremely hard for Ed to pull.

"Come on!"

The gate behind Ed's back, the one he'd been sitting in front of, creaked. The sound made Ed freeze for a moment and that was enough. He was shoved back. The red lines over his body retreated and his eyes returned to normal. The gate opened wide and a familiar green limb wrapped around Ed's midsection, dragging him backwards.

"AAAAAAAL!"

"You are not the right one." – the body uttered and turned its back to Ed.

Ed was pulled and the door shut with a loud bang, closing the path to Alphonse's body.

"DAMN IIIIIIIIT!"

===Father, Brother===

Gluttony clutched at his stomach when suddenly it opened and Ed, Ling, Envy along with a bunch of debris spilled out.

"Brother!" – Al could cry from happiness if he could shed tears.

"We are out!" – Ling cheered.

Ed on the other hand was gritting his teeth in frustration. He heard Al's shout and looked up just in time for his younger brother to crush him with a hug.

"Hm. Very interesting. You actually managed to get out." – a male voice said.

Ed turned his head to see…his father in a white robe.

…

Scar and Mei made their way down the tunnel, fighting off chimeras left and right when they heard the echo of a crash from further down.

"Xiao Mei! We must hurry!" – Mei kicked a chimera in the face and ran forward.

Scar just grunted in agreement and followed the girl while looking out for more chimeras. Soon they reached a set of massive doors that were open. Light streamed from them.

Scar and Mei stopped dead in their tracks. In front of them was a strange sight. A man in a robe, Ling crumbled on the floor with a painful look on his face, giant green monstrosity sitting on Al and Ed held in place by the fat man.

"Xiao Mei!" Mei called and a blur of white and black rushed at her "You are fine! I was SOOO worried about you." – the small panda nuzzled her cheek.

"It seems we have uninvited guests." – the man said calmly, not fazed at all.

"Ah! It's the scary man! Father, he makes things go boom, he's the man!" – Gluttony said and almost pointed at Scar.

"I see…" the blonde man took out a vial with some red liquid in it "Do you still want it? The Philosopher's stone?" – he asked Ling.

"Of course I do! Give it to me and I'll take it!" – Ling coughed a bit in the end.

"You idiot! Stop it!" – Ed shouted and struggled but he didn't have much strength left after the transmutation.

Father had started to tip the bottle.

"The stone?! I don't know what's happening, but you will pay for hurting Xiao Mei!"

"Hey, we got the panda. Let's go and leave those monsters deal with their kin." – Scar put a hand on Mei's shoulder to stop her.

"Hey! Scarface!" Ed shouted, having a brilliant idea "See the green guy? Yeah! He can transform into **anything**! He started the war because this blonde psycho wanted to harvest you! He's the reason your people are dead!" – Gluttony squeezed harder and Ed grunted in pain.

"Is that true?" - Scar had removed his hand from Mei and glared at Envy.

"Hph! Like I remember how many and where I've killed them during my lifetime."

"GAAAAAAAAAH!" – Ling screamed the moment the red liquid touched him and he convulsed violently.

Mei was even more confused and scared. Ling WAS family, despite being a rival for the throne, in some very, very small part of her heart she cared about her half-siblings. Also she was **furious** after hearing Envy gloat about how many were killed by him.

"I will kill you!" – Scar was even more furious, even if it seemed impossible.

Scar roared in rage as he lunged at the monstrous homunculus. She took out her throwing knives and followed.

"Be careful he-" – Ed began.

Mei threw her knives and quickly transmuted a column that hit Envy straight in the back. Scar's hand sparked as he went for the kill. Ed and Al on the other hand were bewildered. How come they weren't able to use alchemy when Scar and Mei could?

…..

Tim Markoh could not only hear but feel the vibrations going on at the moment. He knew war and that were the sounds of battle. His guard chimeras also noticed the commotion and were now growling at the door, too focused on the things outside to notice him. He then got an idea that just might work, if not, he'd be dead and that would also be nice.

Markoh carefully got up from the chair and took the bowl of tasteless porridge with him. He had ONE chance to do it right, so he was extremely careful. As accurately as he could, he drew a simple transmutation circle on the stone floor using the chunky porridge as a drawing material. In a few minutes the circle was ready. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on the floor, fingertips touching the circle.

'Now!'

In a flash the floor changed into a dome and it closed around the chimeras. He manipulated the ground so that his two watchers were a good meter under him before he moved again. He smeared the porridge circle with his shoe and used the furniture to reach and climb through one of the vents.

'I managed it…I actually managed it!' – he stood up and ran off as fast as his feet could carry him.

…

"Greed!" Ed was now struggling to get out of Gluttony's grip to go and help the others "You bastard! Why do you work with them after all they've done?!"

"Like I told you, I ain't the same Greed you are talkin about." – it was unnerving to hear Greed's voice coming from Ling also… HIS EYES WERE FEAKIN' OPEN!

Father and Envy were proving to be a serious challenge and the bastard wasn't even serious, after Greed had joined, Scar, Mei and Al were on the losing side. Al still couldn't use alchemy and was close to defenseless. Gluttony was fidgeting, not sure if he should go and try to eat them or still hold Ed down. His grip wasn't that strong at the moment.

'3… 2… 1… NOW!'

Ed used all the strength he could muster in the position to wrench his hands free. Gluttony was surprised and flailed around.

Ed was frustrated, angry with SO MANY things right now. It irked him that he couldn't do anything to help! He couldn't tale Al's body back, couldn't use alchemy, he couldn't save anyone like _this!_

Ed clapped. It should have been useless; he shouldn't have been able to use alchemy but he did anyway. No one was currently paying attention to him or the flailing Gluttony.

"This is a waste of time." Father said in a monotone "I don't need you. Die." – he lifted his hand towards Scar.

"NOOO!" – Mei saw that and jumped towards Scar.

In the next moment, many things happened. Al was holding back Greed but looked around to see Father's attack. Scar felt a kick hit his side, Mei had kicked him away and now she was in the path of the attack. Envy smirked, ready to gloat and laugh at the pathetic display. Gluttony had managed to straighten up and get his feet under his body. Ed's hands hit the floor.

 **BOOOOOOOOM~!**

The electric sparks accompanying transmutations spread over the whole floor from Ed's hands. Sharp spiked and a wall appeared. Gluttony, Envy and Greed were hit and momentarily pinned by the spikes, Father stepped to the side and dodged. The semi-circle wall in front of Scar and Mei took most of the force behind Father's attack but it exploded. The force made rocks fly all over the place. One piece scratched Scar's forearm. Mei wasn't so lucky. The explosion made her fly due to her being in the air at the moment. She slammed hard on the floor. The sight was terrible. Blood dripped down the side of her face, a sharp stone had also pierced her shoulder.

Ed desperately wanted to go and help her right there and now but he was too exhausted and it was not the time now.

"Hey! Al, take her with us! Scarface, let's book it!" he stood up and ran towards the exit "Ling- Greed-UGH! Whoever you are now! I will get you back to normal and then beat your ass!" – Ed shouted.

Al listened to his brother and carried Mei as carefully as he could. Scar looked conflicted for only a second, he was no fool to stay and try to fight these monsters but was also reluctant to follow a state alchemist, nevertheless he followed the brothers out of the room.

"Hmm…" – Father looked at the transmuted wall with curiosity.

He had made sure no one in Central could use alchemy for a while more but Ed had managed such a big transmutation despite his block. He wanted to know more. How had the boy overridden his authority?

"Guh! Damn it! Shit!" – Greed cursed as he broke free.

"Grr! I will get those-" – Envy began but was stopped by Father's raised hand.

"No. Greed, you will go after them. You can kill the other two, just not the sacrifices."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm goin'." – Greed rubbed the back of his head and jogged into the tunnel.

===Escapades===

They had SPLIT! FRIGGIN' SPLIT UP!

"I swear! Next time I see Scarface, I will deck him with my automail!" – Ed shouted, gasping for air but it was worth it.

He felt terrible, his ears rung, he felt drained, his ports ached and had to race with time to get away from the Homunculi and get Mei to safety.

"Left! There are stairs that lead out! We'll find Dr. Know after that, somehow." – Al said from his left.

Kiiiiiii! – a bat-like chimera swept down from the ceiling.

Ed grit his teeth and kicked it in the face. It crashed in the wall and twitched on the floor as they ran by it. Mei wasn't looking too well but at least she was holding up and the bleeding from her head had stopped.

…..

Scar was running through the many tunnels under Central. He'd split after a large group of chimeras had attacked him and the other 3. They ran ahead while he stayed back to buy them time. Even though he didn't show it, he cared for Mei. Despite how annoying she was at times and how utterly stupid her actions had been this time, he'd do what he could to ensure she lived, even if it meant leaving her with a State alchemist and staying behind to stall the incoming chimeras and homunculi.

He heard crashing of walls- a sound none of the chimeras could make, so he retreated. He went down a smaller side tunnel and ran. He didn't want to die before avenging his people! Scar knew he was currently no match for the 4 monsters but he'd make sure that at least the green one and the blonde man died.

The tunnel was dim and was a bit hard to see, so it was no wonder he didn't see the figure he bumped into.

"Gah!" – the man Scar collided with fell backwards, landing on his backside.

Bothe Scar and the man's eyes met and held for a while. Scar looked the man over and suddenly a realization hit him. It was Tim Markoh!

"You!" - Scar growled.

"Ah! It's you!" the man looked scared but then the fear melted off his face "I see… I guess I deserve it." He kneeled in front of Scar "Please! Kill me! They want to make me create another stone! I don't want this but they will kill everyone from the village! Please, end me so they can be safe!" – he begged the killer with tears streaming down his face.

Scar was surprised. No one had begged him to kill them. Then, he realized that death would be like salvation for the broken man kneeling in front of him.

"Get up! Death is too good for you."

…

Greed made a hole through another wall, too annoyed and impatient to go through the official entrance. Again, there was no sign of the 4 escapees, that _apparently_ knew the old him. They also talked to him in a very familiar way. He scowled as he continued going through the tunnels.

Greed absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. One of the spikes Ed had made hit him there and actually pierced his skin, despite his shield being activated. The wound had been no more than the size of a pinprick and it had healed almost instantly after he broke the spike but he still felt the place being a bit numb. The moment he'd been hurt was like a bolt of lightning had passed through his system. It was VERY strange and he had some sort of nagging, gut feeling that something was _wrong_. There was something he _missed_ but was it?!

He passed through another tunnel and saw a bunch of dead chimeras. It meant that they had passed through here. Who else would blow up the chimeras but the scarred guy? He strode confidently, until he caught something in the corner of his eye.

'A dog chimera, huh? Looks-'

A sudden, piercing pain made Greed fall on his knees, clutching his head with enough force to draw blood.

"GAAAAAAAAH!" – he screamed in pain, both physical and non-physical.

Flashes of foggy memories and conversations filled his mind. **This wasn't him!** He felt nice, he was free to do whatever he pleased… **No! He was to obey Father…** Roa, the big but gentle guy helped him break out a bunch of other chimeras out from under the army's nose and it was EPIC! **I have never seen this guy! Who the hell is he?!**

"… _They were all killed! Don't you remember them?!"_ – Ed's voice replayed itself in his mind.

 **No! Stop! This isn't-** Roa, Martel, Dolcetto… **They're-** The bar was full. The party was raging on- a celebration for them screwing with the police and looting a whole truck of booze. Men and women cheered and some were even talking to him. **Stop it!**

" _Greed-sama! You were amazing! Did you see their faces?!" – Dolcetto swung a hand over his shoulders, definitely tipsy._

 **Stop IT!**

" _Women, alcohol, money…" he was talking "I am Greed and I want everything!" he boasted "I am my own boss and NO ONE can order me around!"_

 **STOP IT!**

The sound of rapid fire, screams of pain, the small of blood… They were dying. HIS men, HIS buddies, HIS friends, HIS family were fucking dying! He was pissed! He couldn't do anything. He couldn't save them, not even one…

 **I am…** so… **so…** SOR **RY!**

…

Ed and Al waited as Dr. Know operated on Mei. Xiao Mei was anxiously waiting by the door, worried about her. Al was looking after his brother too. As soon as they had arrived and given Mei to Dr. Know, Ed had collapsed on the couch, panting. Exhaustion had finally caught up to him and he was currently struggling not to fall asleep. Alphonse was scared, seeing his brother's eyes look so dull and tired. Was it some sort of side-effect? Was he going to be OK? If asked, he'd say YES but with the recent discovery of Ed now being _exactly_ human, he was a bit worried. Their knowledge of Homunculi was limited after all.

"You have to rest nii-san. I Will keep watch." – Ed was too tired to respond but his eyes told Al he wasn't going to sleep.

"Ugh…" – Lan Fan got up with a grunt.

"Take it easy. You are still hurt and shouldn't strain yourself." – Al tried to persuade her to lie down but she refused.

"Where's the young master?"

"Lan Fan…"

"Where is he?! Where is Ling-sama?!" – she was getting hysterical.

"I-" Al looked as his collapsed brother "We are very sorry! We couldn't save him! He took a Philosopher's stone but he's…" – he didn't know how to tell her that Greed had taken control of Ling's body.

"Is he dead?" – she asked in a tense voice,

"No. He isn't."

"Good." she looked at least a bit relieved "Please, explain to me exactly what happened. I want to hear everything! I had failed to protect my lord now but I WILL not fail again!"

===Machinations and Revelations===

…Earlier the same day in Central…

Roy was sitting in his office when a letter had been delivered to him. He saw that it was from the Furer himself- this wasn't good. The man was a Homunculus until proven otherwise, so Roy was very cautious. Inside was a simple document… that transferred Riza to be Bradley's personal assistant.

He saw red! He was furious and immediately put on his ignition gloves, intending to _accidentally_ burn the papers but nothing happened.

'Huh?! Why can't I use alchemy? The glove makes sparks but I can't activate the circle.' Roy glared at the offending piece of paper 'Lucky bastard!'

…

Bradley expected Roy Mustang to march into his office as soon as he received the notice about Riza's transfer but he hadn't accounted Roy's stubbornness. Roy had actually taken an ash tray and set the paper on fire with the lighter he began carrying after the incident with Lust and watched it until cold ash was all that was left of it. By that time Roy was a bit calmer and more rational.

"So, this is your big plan? Using her against me." – Roy held back a growl.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Yeah, same…" – it took everything from Roy to not call him out for working with the Homunculi and being one.

"Is that all you came here for Colonel?" – Bradley frowned.

"No. The notice actually burned due to a fallen cigarette, so I would like another copy for the archive." – Roy said through gritted teeth.

"Of course." Bradley pulled out another paper "This is the last copy and I don't want to write another one, so please be careful. We don't want any more _accidents_ to happen, right?" – there was an edge in his words, a hidden warning.

"Yes, sir. I will be careful."

Just before Roy opened the door, the Furer spoke.

"Oh, and Colonel, don't get any ideas. YOU will be hurt if an accident happened to Ms. Hawkeye but bear in mind that you CAN'T harm me by using my wife or son."

"Bastard…" – Roy muttered as he exited the office.

Bradley leaned back in his chair, wondering exactly HOW MUCH does Roy know about them. He had to observe them more carefully from now on.

….

Much to Dr. Knox's displeasure, his home had become something like a gathering place. He didn't want to hear too much of what they talked about, so he left a while ago. Ed had briefed Roy, Riza, Al and Lan Fan what had happened. Mei and Xiao Mei were sleeping in another room.

"So, you actually went TO the gate?" – Roy was shocked.

"It's not my first time, you know…but I think it wasn't the Gate of Truth this time. Not exactly."

"What do you mean nii-san?"

"I can't explain it. It was weird. Good news is, I was your body Al!"

"Really?!"

"Yes, the bad news it that it looked a bit sickly, like it had a cold that hasn't been properly cured. I am worried. We need to find a way to get your body back. I was so close!"

"What do you mean?"

"I almost got your body out but Envy pulled me before I could."

"Wait! Don't you need to give something in exchange?!" - Roy was bewildered.

"I wasn't thinking clearly back then. I told you it was strange! It tried to take me but I somehow got free. With you-know-what, I don't doubt I might have pulled it off…" – Ed looked a bit uncomfortable.

Lan Fan was curious about the knowing looks Roy and Riza exchanged. She wanted to know. Ed had been a good ally but also an enigma. She'd never met a human with so much Chi but now, after meeting these Homunculi, she had her suspicions about him. Nevertheless, the feeling of his Chi was light and kind, also caring, nothing like that of those monsters in human skin. She feared him a bit but he was NOT an enemy!

"I also remembered a bit from _THAT DAY._ " – Ed declared.

"Really?"

"Nii-san! Are you serious?" – Ed nodded at the question.

"Are you comfortable to talk about this right now, Fullmetal?" – Roy was seriously asking.

"Yes, it's not like we can go search for another place."

"OK. Ms. Lan Fan, can you keep an eye out for eavesdroppers?" – Roy said in a business tone.

Lan Fan was surprised but agreed.

"I was going to Winry's house when I passed by the small forest by the road. I saw some flowers and decided to take them for mother when someone put a cloth with chloroform on my mouth. I lost consciousness. Some bearded alchemist had taken me. I remember running away but he got me again. His basement stank and there were many cages…" Ed took a calming breath "… he tried to use me as a material a human transmutation, that's how I recognized the circle in the lab." Everyone gasped and Al hugged his brother gently "I tried to stop it by wiping the lines but he managed to start the transmutation. After that… I remember pain, blurs and white light. I faced the gate and… I-I don't know what exactly happened but next thing I remember happening was me running through the forest, the fields and collapsing in front of Winry's."

Ed was shaking and the room was silent.

"B-But hey! At least we now know I can use alchemy despite what that Father guy did!" – Ed tried to lighten the mood, despite being on the verge of tears.

At that moment Riza felt awful. She had doubted Ed due to the fact that he was a Homunculus and had stopped trusting him as much as she did before but right now all she could see a broken boy with the will to fight, no matter what happened. She couldn't possibly understand his pain, so she just patted his shoulder in a reassuring way.

…

Ed couldn't sleep. He was tired but he couldn't fall asleep. His automail ports twinged. They hadn't stopped for a while now and it was bothering him. He was going to have Winry look at them as soon as he could. He rolled his shoulders, wincing a bit when he moved his right one. He wanted to scratch the place, massage it with fury, heck, even remove the metal limb to do so but Winry would kill him in he did so.

He quietly went to check on Mei. His left leg also was uncomfortable. He peered in Mei's room. She was sleeping soundly with Xiao Mei next to her. She was stable and was recovering. She just needed to wake up. Lan Fan was also recovering but was distraught over Ling being taken over Greed, so Dr. Knox had forced her to take sleeping pills.

Ed returned to his temporary bed on the couch and sat down. He stood there for a while, looking at the carpet.

'Huh?' Ed stretched his legs and looked them over 'Am I hitting another growth spurt?' – there was a small difference in the lengths of his legs.

Thankfully it was small and it wouldn't be noticeable for a while. He had time before going for adjustments. Finally, after midnight, he decided enough was enough and somehow managed to force himself to fall asleep.

===Ice Days (preview)===

[What is yellow and red, starts with E and finishes with sicle? The answer is Edsicle!]

Going to Briggs wasn't one of Ed's brightest ideas, heck, it wasn't a good idea after all! He was cold, no, he was FREEZING! Despite the multiple layers of clothes and 2 pairs of gloves, he didn't doubt his snot had turned into deadly ice lances hanging from his nose. If they didn't find the fort soon, Ed was sure he'd surely get hypothermia and eventually Al would have to carry his body in a block of ice to be melted. He didn't want to turn into an ice cube, DAMN IT!

 **(AN: Hi! Just here to tell you that I need to re-watch some eps of FMA to be able to continue this, so there will be delay in future chapters. Thanks for reading!)**


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